English  Romantic  Poets 

J— — i*""*^— — I —M— — »»iii  I  111     II  11 Ill  II    1— — — — »nimiii» III!  Ill u 

Sir  Walter  Scott 


L!BRAr<Y 

UNIVERSITY   OF 
CALIFORNIA 

SAN  oiEeo 


Ritglish  Romantic  Poets 


Selections 
from  the  Poems  of 

Sir  Walter  Scott 


CAMBRIDGE   UNIVERSITY   PRESS 

C.  F.  CLAY,  Manager 
LONDON    :     FETTER     LANE,     E.C.4 


NEW  YORK  :    THE   MACMILLAN   CO. 

BOMBAY     ") 

CALCUTTA)-   MACMILLAN  AND  CO.,  LTD. 

MADRAS      j 

TORONTO     :     THE     MACMILLAN     CO.    OF 

CANADA,  LTD. 
TOKYO  :  MARUZEN-KABUSHIKI-KAISHA 


ALL   RIGHTS   RESERVED 


Selections  from  the  Poems  of 
SIR  WALTER  SCOTT 

Edited  by  A.  Hamilton  Thompson,  m.a.,  f.s.a. 


Cambridge 

at  the  University  Press 

1922 


PREFACE 

THE  publication  of  this  volume,  which  concludes  the 
series  of  Selections  from  English  Romantic  Poets,  has 
been  somewhat  delayed  for  various  causes,  although  the 
greater  part  of  it  was  completed  as  long  ago  as  1918.  The 
principle  of  selection  has  been  that  which  has  guided 
previous  volumes,  to  exhibit  the  characteristic  genius  of 
the  author  through  passages  which,  so  far  as  possible,  are 
complete  in  themselves,  and  may  be  read  independently 
of  the  context  for  the  sake  of  their  own  merits.  In  the 
case  of  Scott,  owing  to  the  narrative  form  of  his  verse  and 
the  close  sequence  of  incidents  as  parts  of  a  plot  woven  by 
a  prince  of  story-tellers,  such  an  attempt  can  hardly  be 
entirely  successful ;  and  somewhat  detailed  summaries  of 
the  contents  of  the  longer  poems  are  given  in  the  notes,  so 
that  the  circumstances  of  narrative  passages  may  be 
clearly  understood.  While  it  may  be  conceded  that,  in 
depth  of  thought  and  perfection  of  craftsmanship,  Scott 
is  surpassed  by  his  great  contemporaries,  no  EngUsh  poet, 
perhaps,  has  revealed  to  so  many  readers  the  true  charm 
of  poetry  or  the  magic  of  local  association;  and,  if  the 
pieces  here  printed  serve  to  indicate  the  causes  which 
made  that  achievement  possible,  the  purpose  of  the 
editor  is  accomplished. 

A.  H.  T. 

Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 
August  1 92 1. 


CONTENTS 


Principal  Dates  in  the  Life  of  Scott 
Introduction  ..... 


PAGE 

ix 

XV 


Selections  : 

The  Gray  Brother  .         .         .         .         . 

I 

V    From  The  Lay  of  the  Last  Minstrel : 

I.  Branksome  Hall 

6 

IL  Melrose  by  Moonlight 

9 

III.  TheBale-Fire     . 

II 

IV.  Caledonia   .... 

12 

V.  The  Song  of  Albert  Graeme 

14 

VI.  Harold's  Song     . 

15 

VI I.  Hymn  for  the  Dead    . 

17 

From  Marmion : 

I.  Norham  Castle     . 

18 

II.  'The  lordly  strand  of  Northum 

berland '    .         19 

III.  The  Saint  of  Holy  Island    . 

21 

IV.  Fitz-Eustace's  Song    . 

23 

V.  Edinburgh  from  Blackford  Hill 

24 

VI.  Lochinvar 

25 

VII.  Douglas  and  Marmion 

27 

VIII.  The  Enghsh  Advance  at  Flodde 

n        .         .         31 

IX.  The  Death  of  Marmion 

33 

From  The  Lady  of  the  Lake : 

I.  Invocation 

37 

II.  The  Trossachs     . 

.         .         .         38 

III.  EUen's  Song 

42 

IV.  Boat  Song 

43 

V.  The  Fiery  Cross 

45 

viii                                CONTENTS 

From  The  Lady  of  the  Lake  (cont.) :                               page 

VL  The  Ambuscade           .....         48 

VI L  The  Ride  to  StirUng  . 

50 

VIII.  AUan-Bane's  Lament 

51 

IX.  Lay  of  the  Imprisoned  Huntsman 

52 

X.  Farewell     ..... 

53 

From  Rokeby: 

I.  Dawn  and  Sunrise 55 

II.  Edmund's  Songs         .....         57 

III.  ThorsgiU 62 

IV.  Evening 64 

From  The  Bridal  of  Triermain : 

I.  The  Magic  Castle 66 

II.  The  Enchanted  Goblet 

68 

III.  The  Defenceless  Border 

70 

From  The  Lord  of  the  Isles : 

I.  Autumn  on  Tweedside 

71 

II.  The  Brooch  of  Lorn    . 

73 

III.  Loch  Coruisk 

75 

IV.  The  Voyage  to  Arran 

80 

V.  The  Death  of  Argentine 

82 

HeUvelljm       ..... 

84 

The  Palmer 

86 

Hunting  Song          .... 

88 

The  Spindle  Song  .... 

89 

On  the  Massacre  of  Glencoe,  1692 

90 

Jock  of  Hazeldean 

92 

Pibroch  of  Donuil  Dhu 

93 

Rebecca's  Hymn    .... 

95 

County  Guy            .... 

96 

Notes        ...... 

97 

Index  to  Notes        .... 

183 

PRINCIPAL  DATES  IN  THE  LIFE 
OF  SCOTT 

1 77 1,  15  Aug.         Born  in  College  Wynd,  Edinburgh. 

1778,  Oct.-i783.    At  the  Edinburgh  High  School. 

1783,  1784.  Visits    to    Kelso,    and    beginning    of    ac- 

quaintance with  James  Ballantyne. 

1783,  Nov. -1785.  At  Edinburgh  University. 

1786,  15  May.  Bound  apprentice  to  his  father,  a  writer 
to  the  signet. 

1 786-1 792.  Studies    for    the    bar.     Friendship    with 

Wilham  Clerk  of  Eldin. 

1792,  July.  Called  to  the  bar.    Begins  to  practise  in 

Nov. 

1 796.  Publication  of  Scott's  imitation  of  Biirger 's 

Lenore  {William  and  Helen). 

1796,  24  Dec.  Marries  Charlotte  Margaret  Carpenter  at 

St  Mary's,  Carlisle. 

1798.  Beginning  of  residence  at  Lasswade,  Mid- 
lothian. 

1799,  Feb.  Publication     of     Scott's     translation     of 

Goethe's  Gotz  von  Berlichingen. 

1799,  April.  Death  of  Scott's  father. 

1799,  autumn.        Metrical  Ballads  printed  by  Ballantyne. 

1799,  16  Dec.  Appointed  sheriff- depute  of  Selkirkshire. 

1802,  Jan.  Publication  of  vols,  i  and  11  of  Minstrelsy 

of  the  Scottish  Border,  the  result  of  Scott's 
holiday  wanderings  in  Liddesdale  and  the 
country  round  Kelso.  Vol.  iii  published 
in  the  spring  of  1803. 

T.  s.  6 


X      PRINCIPAL  DATES  IN  THE  LIFE  OF  SCOTT 


1803,  17  Sept. 


1804, 

May. 

1804, 

July- 

1805. 

Jan. 

1805. 

•  1805, 

summer 

•  1806. 

spring. 

•  1808, 

Feb. 

1808, 

April. 

1809. 

-   1809,  March. 

•  1810,  May. 

1810,  July. 

1811,  July. 
1811,  summer. 

'     1812,  May. 

1813,  Jan. 


1813,  Sept. 


Visit  of  Wordsworth  and  his  sister  to  Scott 
at  Lasswade.  Scott  joins  the  Wordsworths 
at  Melrose,  19  Sept.,  parting  from  them 
near  Hawick,  22  Sept. 

Publication  of  Sir  Tristrem. 

Removes  from  Lasswade  to  Ashestiel, 
near  Selkirk. 

Publication  of  The  Lay  of  the  Last  Minstrel. 

Scott  enters  into  partnership  with  James 
Ballantyne,  taking  a  third  share  in  the 
printing  business.  ^ 

Visit  to  Wordsworth  at  Grasmere. 

Appointed  one  of  the  principal  clerks  of 
the  court  of  session. 

Publication  of  Marniion. 

Publication  of  Scott's  edition  of  Dryden. 

Formation  of  the  publishing  firm  of  John 
Ballantyne  and  Co.,  with  Scott  as  a 
partner.  Scott  quits  his  connexion  with 
his  publisher.  Constable,  and  with  The 
Edinburgh  Review. 

First  appearance  of  The  Quarterly  Review, 
with  three  articles  by  Scott. 

Publication  of  The  Lady  of  the  Lake. 
Visit  to  the  Hebrides. 
Publication  of  The  Vision  of  Don  Roderick. 
Purchase  of  the  site  of  Abbotsford. 

Removal   from   Ashestiel   to   Abbotsford 

(the  house  not  completed  till  1824). 

Publication    of   Rokeby,    followed    within 

two  months  by  the  anonymous  Bridal  of 

Triermain. 

Declines  the  offer  of  the  poet  laureateship. 


PRINCIPAL  DATES  IN  THE  LIFE  OF  SCOTT     xi 

1813.  Beginning  of  the  renewal  of  Scott's  as- 
sociation with  Constable,  owing  to  the 
commercial  difficulties  of  Ballantyne  and 
Co. 

1 814,  I  July.  Publication  of  Scott's  edition  of  Swift. 

18 14,  7  July.  Anonymous  publication  of  Waver  ley,  the 

completion  of  a  romance  begun  in  1805. 

1 814,  July,  Aug.    Voyage  to  the  Shetland  isles  and  western 

Highlands. 

1815,  Jan.  Publication  of  The  Lord  of  the  Isles. 

1815,  Feb.  Publication   of   Guy   Mannering    (Scott's 

anonymity  preserved). 

1815,  Aug.  Visit  to  Waterloo  and  Paris.  The  Field  of 

Waterloo  published  in  Oct. 

1816.  Publication  of  Paul's  Letters  to  his  Kins- 
folk (Jan.),  The  Antiquary  (May),  and  the 
first  series  of  Tales  of  my  Landlord  {The 
Black  Dwarf  axid.  Old  Mortality,  Dec). 

1817.  Publication  of  Harold  the  Dauntless  (Jan.) 
and  Rob  Roy  (Dec). 

1818,  June.  Publication  of  The  Heart  of  Midlothian 

(second  series  of  Tales  of  my  Landlord). 

1 818.  Dec.  Scott  accepts  a  baronetcy. 

1819.  Publication  of  The  Bride  of  Lammermoor 
and  The  Legend  of  Montrose  (third  series 
of  Tales  of  my  Landlord,  June),  and  of 
Ivanhoe  (Dec). 

1820.  Publication  of  The  Monastery  (March)  and 
The  Abbot  (Sept.). 

1820,  29  April.       Marriage      of      Sophia,      Scott's      eldest 

daughter,  to  John  Gibson  Lockhart. 

182 1,  Publication  of  Kenilworth  (Jan.)  and  The 
Pirate  (Sept.). 

1822,  May.  Publication  of  Peveril  of  the  Peak. 

62 


xil     PRINCIPAL  DATES  IN  THE  LIFE  OF  SCOTT 

1823,  Publication  of  Quentin  Durward  (June) 
and  St  Ronan's  Well  (Dec). 

1824,  June.  Publication  of  Redgauntlet. 

1825,  June.  Publication    of    The    Betrothed   and    The 

Talisman  ( Tales  of  the  Crusaders) . 

1826,  Feb.  Failure  of  the  publishing  firms  of  Hurst 

and  Robinson,  Constable,  and  Ballantyne. 
Scott  determines  to  pay  his  creditors  in 
full.  Gives  up  his  house  in  Edinburgh 
(39  Castle  Street)  in  March. 

1826,  15  May.         Death  of  lady  Scott. 

1826.  June.  Publication  of  Woodstock. 

1827.  Publication  of  Life  of  Napoleon  Buona- 
parte (June),  the  first  series  of  Chronicles 
of  the  Canongate  {The  Two  Drovers,  The 
Highland  Widow  and  The  Surgeon's 
Daughter,  Oct.),  and  of  the  first  series  of 
Tales  of  a  Grandfather  (Dec). 

1828.  Publication  of  The  Fair  Maid  of  Perth 
(April)  and  the  second  series  of  Tales  of 
a  Grandfather  (Dec). 

1829.  Beginning  of  the  collected  and  annotated 
edition  of  The  Waver  ley  Novels.  Publica- 
tion of  Anne  of  Geier stein  (May),  the  third 
series  of  Tales  of  a  Grandfather  (Dec.)  and 
of  vol.  I  of  History  of  Scotland  (Dec). 

1830.  15  Feb.  Scott  seized  with  paralysis,  but  continues 

work. 

1830.  Publication  of  History  of  Scotland,  vol.  11 

(May),  Letters  on  Demonology  and  Witch- 
craft and  of  the  collected  edition  of 
Poetical  Works. 

1830,  July.  Scott  retires  from  clerkship  of  session. 

1 83 1,  April.  Second  paralytic  stroke. 


PRINCIPAL  DATES  IN  THE  LIFE  OF  SCOTT     Xlll 

1 83 1,  Sept.  Visit  of  Wordsworth  to  Scott,  the  occasion 

of  Wordsworth's  Yarrow  Revisited  and 
sonnet  'A  trouble,  not  of  clouds,  or 
weeping  rain.' 

1831,  Nov.  Publication  of  Count  Robert  of  Paris  and 

Castle  Dangerous  (Tales  of  my  Landlord, 
fourth  series). 

1831,  Sept.-i832,  June.   Continental  tour:  at  Malta  in  Nov. 

and  Dec.  1831,  and  at  Naples,  Dec.  1831- 
April,  1832. 

1832,  9  July.  Scott  returns  to  Abbotsford. 
1832,  21  Sept.        Death  of  Scott. 

1832,  26  Sept.         Burial  of  Scott  at  Dry  burgh  abbey. 


INTRODUCTION 

SCOTT'S  poetry  sounded  the  note  which  re-awakened 
popular  interest  in  the  Hfe  of  the  middle  ages.  A 
feeHng  for  chivalrous  romance  had  never  wholly  died  out 
among  scholars  and  men  of  culture.  Even  during  the 
period  in  which  the  rules  of  Nature  were  most  closely  iden- 
tified with  the  laws  of  poetic  common  sense,  there  were 
many  who  were  ready,  like  Sir  Philip  Sidney  in  an  earlier 
age,  to  '  confess  their  own  barbarousness '  and  admit  that 
'  I  never  heard  the  old  song  of  Percy  and  Douglas,  that 
I  found  not  mine  heart  moved  more  than  with  a  trumpet.' 
Throughout  the  eighteenth  century,  the  poetry  of  Spenser, 
who  wedded  the  traditions  of  medieval  chivalry  to  the 
classical  and  philosophical  enthusiasm  of  the  Reformation 
period,  retained  its  influence  and  bore  fruit  in  frequent 
imitations  which,  if  they  caught  its  outer  form  rather 
than  its  spirit,  bear  witness  to  the  fascination  of  its  de- 
scriptive and  allegorical  qualities  and  archaic  style.  In 
the  'sixties  of  the  eighteenth  century  Chatterton's  for- 
geries and  the  so-called  Ossianic  poems  of  Macpherson 
were  received  with  an  uncritical  applause,  symptomatic 
of  the  readiness  of  the  pubHc  to  be  interested  in  a  by- 
gone era  whose  manners  were  ill  understood,  even  by 
professed  antiquaries;  while  Percy's  Reliques  furnished  an 
invaluable  guide  to  the  treasures  of  ballad-poetry.  A  few 


XVI  INTRODUCTION 

years  later,  Warton's  History  of  English  Poetry  and 
Tyrwhitt's  edition  of  The  Canterbury  Tales  marked  the 
spread  of  scholarly  study  of  our  older  literature.  Dilettanti 
like  Horace  Waipole  evolved  a  'Gothic  taste'  out  of  a 
natural  liking  for  history  and  romance  freely  coloured  by 
their  own  imaginings.  Walpole's  Castle  of  Otranto  gave 
birth  to  a  type  of  novel  of  which  the  stock-in-trade  was 
an  ancient  castle  peopled  by  spectral  wonders  and  under- 
mined by  chains  of  vaults  and  subterranean  passages. 
Weak  as  these  romances  were,  their  popularity  is  an 
indication  of  the  revolt  against  the  decaying  classical 
tradition,  and  they  lead  naturally  to  the  new  and  more 
enlightened  medievalism  of  Scott  which  took  the  world 
by  storm. 

Scott  himself  was  the  natural  product  of  a  country, 
'meet  nurse  for  a  poetic  child,'  upon  which  medieval 
traditions  had  a  more  abiding  hold  than  upon  England. 
In  the  district  which  he  knew  best  and  made  his  home, 
feudal  customs  had  never  been  wholly  superseded.  The 
union  of  the  Scottish  and  English  crowns  had  done  little 
to  affect  the  individuality  of  Scottish  life,  and  the  High- 
land chieftains  and  clansmen  who  rallied  to  the  Stewarts 
in  1715  and  1745  differed  Httle,  if  at  all,  from  their  an- 
cestors who  had  fought  against  England  under  Wallace 
and  Bruce.  To  Englishmen  as  a  whole  Scotland  was  an 
unknown  and  untra veiled  country:  visits  such  as  John- 
son's famous  tour  to  the  Hebrides  were  greatly-daring 
adventures  which  few  were  hardy  enough  to  undertake, 
in  regions  as  vague  and  misty  as  the  heroes  who  peopled 


INTRODUCTION  XVll 

them  in  Ossianic  romance.  Scotland  had  produced  famous 
men  of  letters;  but  hitherto  Burns  was  her  only  poet  of 
more  than  secondary  rank  whose  best  work  had  taken 
a  characteristically  Scottish  form.  He,  however,  had 
worked  in  a  field  of  his  own  which  bore  no  likeness  to  the 
material  cultivated  by  Scott,  applying  personal  experience 
and  sentiment  to  general  facts  of  every-day  life  with  an 
inimitable  mingling  of  shrewd  wit  and  deep  pathos ;  and, 
while  his  genius  was  recognised  in  England,  want  of 
famiharity  with  the  life  that  he  knew  best  and  the  dialect 
in  which  alone  his  verse  moved  with  spontaneity  pre- 
vented, and  still  prevents,  a  really  warm  appreciation  of 
his  work  by  the  ordinary  Englishman. 

On  the  other  hand,  Scott,  with  The  Lay  of  the  Last 
Minstrel,  touched  a  note  which  the  public,  whether 
English  or  Scottish,  could  appreciate  at  once.  The  poem 
took  the  acceptable  form  of  a  narrative  in  which  the 
elements  dear  to  the  reader  of  contemporary  romance 
were  united  with  a  freshness  and  vividness  entirely  novel. 
Its  ringing  rhymes  and  irregular  metrical  form  were  a 
novelty.  It  dealt  with  men  and  women,  with  war  and 
love,  straightforwardly  and  intelligibly.  Its  archaic  words 
and  phrases  were  not  beyond  ordinary  comprehension. 
The  action  of  the  story  never  flagged:  its  passages  of 
description  and  sentiment  were  all  part  of  a  general  live- 
liness. The  wizard  lady  and  the  goblin  page,  the  moon- 
light visit  of  Deloraine  to  Melrose,  supplied  the  popular 
ingredient  of '  Gothic '  mystery  and  wonder,  skilfully  com- 
bined with  the  semi-historical  setting  of  the  tale  and 


xviii  INTRODUCTION 

controlling  its  incidents.  Underl5ang  and  imparting  life 
to  all  was  Scott's  personal  passion  for  the  land  of  his  early 
wanderings,  where  'every  field  has  its  battle,  and  every 
rivulet  its  song,'  an  enthusiasm  which  breathes  its  fire 
in  every  line  and  communicated  itself  to  an  audience 
hitherto  largely  ignorant  of  the  charms  of  moor  and 
mountain.  It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  the  publication 
of  The  Lay  of  the  Last  Minstrel  marks  an  epoch  in  the 
Romantic  movement  second  to  none  in  importance. 
Lyrical  Ballads  in  1798,  with  which  the  movement  reached 
its  historical  chmax,  as  seen  from  the  standpoint  of  to- 
day, had  fallen  upon  deaf  ears.  Wordsworth  and  Coleridge 
were  conscious  revolutionists  in  advance  of  their  day: 
the  direct  relation  on  which  they  insisted  between  thought 
and  diction,  their  rejection  of  conventions  of  poetic 
phrase,  were  new  doctrines  which  it  required  some  in- 
telligence and  patience  to  understand,  and  a  generation 
which  was  accustomed  to  find  an  outlet  for  somewhat 
prosaic  thought  in  a  highly  artificial  and  abstract  type 
of  language  was  unready  to  recognise  the  merits  of  poetic 
imagination  presented  in  a  form  which  deliberately 
scouted  abstractions  and  generalisations.  Scott  appeared 
as  the  apostle  of  no  poetic  theory.  He  was  already  known 
as  the  author  of  casual  romantic  ballads  and  as  the 
collector  and  editor  of  a  body  of  minstrelsy  which,  un- 
couth as  much  of  it  was,  had  a  singular  charm  and  spirit 
of  its  own.  His  poem  was  simply  an  attempt  to  give  the 
atmosphere  of  his  favourite  ballads  to  a  chivalrous  story 
whose  scene  he  knew  and  loved,  to  revive  their  spirit  in 


INTRODUCTION  XIX 

modern  verse.  His  imagination  was  not  like  that  of 
Coleridge,  wandering  at  will  in  phantom  barks  over  un- 
travelled  oceans :  it  worked  most  readily  upon  the  familiar 
haunts  of  his  youth,  peopling  them  with  the  figures  stored 
in  his  memory  from  history  and  legend.  While  he  chose 
this  concrete  foundation  for  his  work,  the  subject  of  his 
story  was  elevated  and  romantic.  If  he  had  taken  Words- 
worth's course  and  peopled  Liddesdale  and  Teviotdale 
with  leech-gatherers  and  simple  cottagers,  the  success  of 
his  poem  would  have  been  small.  His  pageant  of  knights 
and  ladies,  monks  and  freebooters,  his  picture  of  a  society 
in  which  civilisation  and  barbarism  matched  the  contrast 
between  fertile  valleys  and  barren  fells,  heightened  the 
attraction  of  his  verse  and  obtained  the  applause  for  the 
directness  and  simplicity  of  its  diction  which  Wordsworth 
and  Coleridge  had  failed  to  command  for  theirs.  Thus  it 
was  that  the  popular  revolution  in  poetic  taste  at  which 
they  had  aimed  was  actually  achieved  by  the  success  of 
Scott's  first  long  narrative  poem. 

For  most  lovers  of  poetry  Scott  continues  to  perform 
the  work  which  he  accomplished  for  his  own  generation. 
These  stirring  verse-narratives  captivate  the  ear  at  once 
and  prepare  it  for  more  subtle  harmonies:  they  kindle 
the  imagination  before  it  is  capable  of  responding  readily 
to  the  call  of  verse  founded  upon  more  abstract  themes. 
In  loftiness  of  thought,  in  splendour  of  style,  in  variety 
of  music,  Scott  cannot  compare  with  the  greatest  poets 
among  his  contemporaries.  His  cast  of  mind  was  positive, 
not  speculative:  it  gave  poetic  form,  not  to  the  eternal 


XX  INTRODUCTION 

problems  and  aspirations  of  mankind,  but  to  the  anti- 
quarian and  historical  traditions  of  a  past  age.  He  wrote 
in  haste,  with  his  thought  concentrated  upon  the  objects 
which  he  described,  choosing  the  words  which  came  to 
hand  most  readily  without  much  care  for  felicity  or  per- 
fection of  phrase.  The  effect  of  his  work  depends  upon  the 
readiness  with  which  his  imagination  grasped  its  object, 
moving  rapidly  from  detail  to  detail  with  untiring  curiosity 
and  power  of  reproduction.  His  poetry  has  one  subject,  the 
romance  of  a  bygone  day :  it  is  set  to  one  tune,  the  tripping 
rhymed  metre  which,  employed  with  some  irregularity  in 
The  Lay  of  the  Last  Minstrel,  settled  down  to  uniformity 
in  his  later  poems.  It  is  not  surprising  that,  in  an  age  so 
fertile  in  poetry,  his  vogue  declined  after  his  first  successes 
had  accomplished  the  task  of  educating  his  readers  for  a 
change  of  taste.  At  the  same  time,  he  was  not  merely  a 
temporary  influence.  A  lesser  poet  might  have  succeeded 
as  he  did  and  have  been  forgotten  in  a  few  years.  Just  as 
we  find  it  difficult  now  to  discover  in  Bowles'  sonnets  the 
inspiration  which  had  so  powerful  an  effect  upon  Coleridge 
and  Charles  Lamb,  so  we  might  be  wondering  to-day  at 
the  popularity  of  tales  in  verse  which  to  ourselves  have 
neither  savour  nor  salt.  But  Scott's  verse,  although  in 
certain  important  respects  it  falls  short  of  the  highest 
poetry,  has  permanent  qualities  which  outweigh  its 
limitations  and  endow  it  with  perennial  freshness. 

What  these  quahties  are  has  already  been  implied. 
First  and  foremost  is  the  gift  of  rapid  narrative.  The 
poems  are  frankly  tales  and  nothing  but  tales.  They 


INTRODUCTION  XXI 

disclaim  all  pretensions  to  an  epic  character:  'metrical 
romances,'  'romantic  tales'  are  the  descriptions  given  by 
Scott  of  his  earliest  compositions.  In  the  preface  to  The 
Bridal  of  Triermain  he  writes :  '  According  to  the  author's 
idea  of  Romantic  Poetry,  as  distinguished  from  Epic,  the 
former  comprehends  a  fictitious  narrative,  framed  and 
combined  at  the  pleasure  of  the  writer;  beginning  and 
ending  as  he  may  judge  best;  which  neither  exacts  nor 
refuses  the  use  of  supernatural  machinery;  which  is  free 
from  the  technical  rules  of  the  Epee;  and  is  subject  only 
to  those  which  good  sense,  good  taste,  and  good  morals, 
apply  to  every  species  of  poetry  without  exception.  The 
date  may  be  in  a  remote  age,  or  in  the  present ;  the  story 
may  detail  the  adventures  of  a  prince  or  of  a  peasant. 
In  a  word,  the  author  is  absolute  master  of  his  country 
and  its  inhabitants,  and  everything  is  permitted  to  him, 
excepting  to  be  heavy  and  prosaic,  for  which,  free  and 
unembarrassed  as  he  is,  he  has  no  manner  of  apology.' 
Scott,  in  fact,  rejected  the  constraint  of  the  artificial  rules 
of  poetry ;  and,  in  proposing  for  himself  the  unambitious 
aim  of  pleasing  his  readers  with  a  well-told  story,  the  only 
conventions  by  which  he  was  bound  were  the  restrictions 
imposed  by  a  conservative  standard  of  taste  and  the 
chief  pitfall  which  he  sought  to  avoid  was  a  lapse  into 
dulness. 

His  faithful  adherence  to  these  principles  ensured  his 
popularity.  He  was  never  dull:  he  never  wrote  a  line 
which  could  shock  or  perplex  a  single  soul.  The  second  of 
these  merits  is  not  in  itself  a  passport  to  fame:  Byron, 


XXll  INTRODUCTION 

who  quickly  succeeded  Scott  in  popular  favour,  pursued 
a  deliberately  opposite  course.  But,  whether  a  poet 
chooses  to  edify  or  scandalise  his  public,  it  is  possible  that 
in  either  case  he  will  be  hopelessly  dull;  and  Scott's  aim 
was  not  to  edify,  but  to  please  without  offending  sensitive 
consciences.  On  the  other  hand,  his  object  of  pleasing 
by  a  constant  variation  of  incident  and  interest  de- 
veloped his  natural  gift  of  qualities  which  we  associate 
with  narrative  poetry  in  its  highest  form,  the  epic. 
Homer,  says  Matthew  Arnold,  is  '  rapid  in  his  movement, 
plain  in  his  words  and  style,  simple  in  his  ideas,  noble 
in  his  manner.'  Now,  while  this  pronouncement  cannot 
be  said  to  exhaust  the  virtues  of  the  father  of  epic  poetry, 
every  word  of  it  is  true  of  Scott.  His  rapid  movement 
continually  enchains  our  attention.  It  is  constant,  not 
merely  in  his  frequent  descriptions  of  breathless  rides, 
such  as  Deloraine's  midnight  journey  to  Melrose  and 
Fitz- James'  headlong  gallop  from  Loch  Vennachar  to 
Stirling,  or  of  sails  before  a  favouring  wind,  as  the  voyage 
of  the  nuns  from  Whitby  to  Lindisfarne  and  Bruce's 
prosperous  return  from  Skye  to  Arran,  but  in  the  un- 
flagging animation  of  every  scene.  The  dramatic  power 
of  Marmion's  departure  from  Tantallon  and  the  de- 
scription of  the  battle  of  Flodden  is  due  in  the  first 
instance  to  the  swift  movement  of  the  verse,  the  quick- 
ness with  which  it  prints  every  detail  upon  the  mind. 
In  scenes  where  feasting  takes  the  place  of  more  strenuous 
action  or  tender  sentiment  is  for  the  moment  uppermost, 
Scott  varies  his  movement,  which  otherwise  might  be- 


INTRODUCTION  xxiii 

come  tame,  by  interpolating  snatches  of  ballad  song  which 
heighten  the  effect.  The  feast  of  reconcihation  in  The  Lay 
of  the  Last  Minstrel  is  enlivened  by  the  strains  of  the  rival 
harpers ;  the  ballad  of  Alice  Brand  is  the  diversion  of  the 
duologue  between  Allan-Bane  and  Ellen;  the  conference 
of  Bertram  and  Guy  Denzil  in  the  cave  on  Brignal  banks 
is  broken  by  the  songs  of  Edmund;  the  singing  of  The 
Brooch  of  Lorn  at  Ardtornish  turns  festivity  into  strife. 
Scott,  moreover,  understood  the  necessity  of  affording 
breathing-spaces  in  which  to  collect  himself  and  his 
readers  before  passing  from  one  career  of  rapid  flight  to 
another.  The  studied  quietude  with  which  he  uses  Spen- 
serian stanzas  of  remarkable  beauty  and  descriptive 
power  as  the  prelude  to  each  canto  of  The  Lady  of  the 
Lake  and  The  Lord  of  the  Isles  and  as  the  finale  to  each 
poem;  the  unrivalled  ease  and  dignity  with  which  he 
turns  from  his  story  to  personal  associations  in  the  dedi- 
cations to  the  cantos  of  Marmion,  relieve  the  strain  of 
perpetual  excitement. 

The  simplicity  of  his  words  and  style  and  the  directness 
of  his  thought  need  no  comment.  His  style  is  the  mirror 
of  his  simple  and  uninvolved  thought:  his  imagination 
translates  its  visions  at  once  into  the  plainest  words, 
which  he  has  no  difficulty  in  finding.  But  to  the  full 
effect  of  such  a  style  nobility  of  manner  is  essential ;  and 
nobility  of  manner  depends  upon  the  poet's  sense  of  the 
dignity  of  his  subject.  No  poet  was  ever  less  conscious 
than  Scott  of  his  dedication  to  the  service  of  song  or  less 
incHned  to  wrap  himself  up  in  the  singing-robes  of  the 


XXIV  INTRODUCTION 

sacer  vates.  He  adopted  the  profession  of  literature  from 
personal  inclination,  but  with  a  fuU  sense  of  its  pre- 
cariousness  and  the  determination  that  it  '  should  be  my 
staff,  but  not  my  crutch.'  When  his  poetry  ceased  to 
command  its  early  popularity,  he  abandoned  it  for 
another  species  of  composition  in  which  he  acquired 
even  greater  and  more  permanent  fame.  This  easy  treat- 
ment of  poetry  is  very  different  from  the  self -consecration 
with  which  Milton  and  Wordsworth  approached  it.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  example  of  Shakespeare,  who  would 
certainly  have  commended  Scott's  sentiments  upon  the 
worldly  aspect  of  literature,  is  a  standing  proof  that 
nobility  of  manner  is  not  incompatible  with  a  due  regard 
for  Hterary  profits.  If  Scott  wrote  at  first  with  the  need 
of  a  substantial  fortune  before  him,  if  literature  became 
with  him  the  means  of  building  up  a  country  estate,  the 
subjects  of  which  he  wrote  were  the  objects  of  his  earliest 
enthusiasm  and  fired  his  imagination  until  the  day  of 
his  death.  Love  for  the  history  of  the  past  combined 
itself  with  a  passion  for  the  familiar  scenes  of  his  native 
country :  in  remembering  these  and  commemorating  them 
in  verse,  he  absorbed  himself  for  the  time  being  in  subjects 
which  were  to  him  an  abiding  symbol  of  the  nobility, 
beauty  and  happiness  of  life,  with  the  result  that  his 
manner  acquired  and  preserved  a  nobility  and  loftiness 
which  transfigure  the  superficial  plainness  of  his  diction 
and  the  artlessness  of  his  rhymes. 

It  is  possible  for  lovers  of  poetry  to  possess  a  profound 
sense  of  the  beauty  of  Nature  and  an  exacting  apprecia- 


INTRODUCTION  XXV 

tion  of  the  requirements  of  poetic  style  without  any  pre- 
dilection for  history  or  consciousness  of  the  spirit  of  indi- 
vidual places.  To  such  persons — and  they  are  not  few — 
Scott's  poetry  appeals  but  little.  They  fail  to  find  in  it 
the  natural  mysticism,  the  presence  of  'the  light  that 
never  was  on  sea  or  land,'  penetrating  and  glorifying 
common  things,  the  power  of  phrase  which  gives  per- 
manent record  to  a  fleeting  emotion.  Scott  had  little 
dealing  with  abstract  thought.  It  is  true  that  he  moralises 
frequently,  very  much  in  the  manner  of  his  eighteenth- 
century  predecessors;  but  such  moralising  is  merely  in- 
cidental and  never  lasts  long.  Bruce,  in  face  of  the  naked 
mountain-barrier  of  the  Cuillin  hills,  is  reminded  of  the 
loneliness  of  a  monarch,  'his  soul  a  rock,  his  heart  a 
waste,'  but  breaks  off  his  musings  with  alacrity  at  the 
sight  of  hunters  and  a  slaughtered  stag.  The  famous  out- 
burst of  patriotic  feeling  at  the  beginning  of  The  Lay  of 
the  Last  Minstrel  turns  soon  from  the  general  sentiment 
to  the  remembrance  of  scenes  and  places,  to  the  natural 
features  of  Scotland,  to  Yarrow,  Ettrick  and  Teviot 
stone.  Scott's  imagination  is  concentrated  upon  the 
material  supplied  by  the  eye  and  ear.  While  Wordsworth 
and  Shelley,  each  in  his  own  special  way,  transfuse  all 
sights  and  sounds  into  a  mental  atmosphere  independent 
of  place  and  circumstance;  while  Keats  and  Coleridge 
use  them,  each  for  his  own  fairy-land;  while  all  that 
Byron  sees  or  hears  becomes  a  symbol  of  his  own  per- 
sonality as  he  chose  to  present  it,  Scott  is  content  to 
record  these  things  as  they  are  and  as  they  give  him 
T.  s.  c 


XXVI  INTRODUCTION 

pleasure.  The  beautiful  stanzas  on  Autumn  at  the  be- 
ginning of  The  Lord  of  the  Isles  are  a  faithful  recapitula- 
tion of  what  he  saw  and  heard  from  his  own  windows. 
One  detail  after  another,  as  it  comes  under  his  observa- 
tion, takes  its  place  in  the  picture:  there  is  no  effort  at 
drawing  the  somewhat  obvious  comparison  between  the 
decay  of  autumn  and  the  decline  of  life  which  such  a 
scene  naturally  provokes  and  Scott  was  quite  capable  of 
employing;  but  the  lingering  music  of  the  verse  is  an 
echo  of  the  pleasurable  melancholy  and  the  wistful 
affection  with  which  he  watches  the  sun  decline  behind 
Ettrick  forest,  notices  the  last  red  leaves  hanging  on  the 
trees  of  Gala  and  listens  to  the  faint  song  of  the  last  birds 
of  the  year. 

Such  verse,  it  may  be  said,  falls  far  short  of  the  super- 
natural glory  with  which  Wordsworth  invests,  for  ex- 
ample, his  'evening  of  extraordinary  splendour  and 
beauty,'  or  turns  from  the  river  and  woods  in  Tintern 
Abbey  to  contemplate  the  indwelling  and  life-giving  prin- 
ciple of  Nature.  Scott  misses  sublimity.  Nobility  of 
manner,  on  the  other  hand,  is  not  necessarily  sublime; 
and  Wordsworth's  poetry  contains  abundance  of  proof 
that  a  poet  who  can  rise  to  sublimity  may  also  fall  very 
far  below  nobility.  Scott's  verse  is  consistently  dignified: 
its  merely  trivial  passages  are  extremely  rare.  Lockhart 
rightly  expressed  some  doubt  as  to  the  effort  at  con- 
temporary satire  which  occurs  at  the  end  of  the  second 
canto  of  The  Bridal  of  Triermain,  and  most  readers  will 
agree  that  the  wonders  encountered  by  De  Vaux  in  the 


INTRODUCTION  xxvil 

I 

third  canto  of  that  poem,  not  by  any  means  one  of  the 
most  serious  of  Scott's  compositions,  are  somewhat 
childish  and  not  altogether  in  keeping  with  the  medieval 
fairy-castle  which  rises,  a  splendid  vision,  out  of  rocks 
and  mist  or  is  revealed  at  night  by  stormy  gleams.  These 
things,  however,  are  exceptions.  To  Scott  the  subject  of 
his  tale  is  high  and  inspiring,  and  he  seldom  fails  to  rise 
to  it.  Its  scenery  is  consecrated  by  long  association,  and 
he  describes  it  with  a  fervour  that  cannot  dwell  too 
ardently  upon  its  lineaments  or  repeat  its  hallowed  names 
too  often. 

It  is  this  love  of  places  for  their  own  sake  which  is 
the  crowning  charm  of  Scott's  poetry  to  all  who  have 
felt  it  themselves.  His  knowledge  of  the  scene,  the 
emotion  which  it  has  aroused  in  him,  are  the  occasion  for 
his  most  animated  descriptions  of  action.  When  we  think 
of  Marmion,  the  first  objects  which  we  recall  are  the  great 
tower  of  Norham  castle  looming  against  the  sunset,  the 
panorama  of  Edinburgh  from  Blackford  hill,  the  ruins 
of  Tantallon  on  their  promontory,  the  deep  ravine  of  the 
Till  below  Twisel.  Melrose  abbey  by  moonHght  is  the 
out-standing  picture  of  The  Lay  of  the  Last  Minstrel :  it 
is  again  the  aisles  of  Melrose  which  preserve  the  echo  of 
the  solemn  hymn  with  which  the  poem  ends.  The  Tros- 
sachs,  with  the  peaks  of  Ben  A'an  and  Benvenue  seen  by 
gUmpses  above  the  waving  branches  of  the  wood,  and 
the  towers  of  StirHng,  guarding  the  passage  from  the 
glens  and  moors  through  and  across  which  the  Fiery 
cross  made  its  way  from  hand  to  hand,  are  the  heart  of 

C2 


xxviii  INTRODUCTION 

the  romance  of  The  Lady  of  the  Lake.  Bruce's  deeds  in 
The  Lord  of  the  Isles  are  secondary  to  the  pictures  of  the 
stormy  sound  through  which  his  bark  beat  its  way  under 
the  walls  of  Ardtornish,  the  naked  majesty  of  the  shivered 
crags  of  Skye,  and  the  succession  of  islands  which  rose 
from  the  sea  and  vanished  behind  the  horizon  as  he  sailed 
southward  to  win  back  his  kingdom.  Each  of  these 
scenes  is,  as  it  were,  a  living  character  in  its  poem,  not 
filled  with  or  referred  to  an  indwelling  spirit  which 
generalises  Nature  into  subservience  to  its  workings,  but 
with  its  own  individual  traits  and  features.  This  is  the 
essential  peculiarity  of  Scott  among  the  romantic  poets. 
Scenery  was  necessary  to  Wordsworth,  but  he  lost  its 
physical  outlines  in  the  ecstasy  to  which  it  gave  impulse. 
From  Tintern  Abbey  it  is  a  sound  conclusion  that,  if  we 
would  view  Tintern  aright,  there  is  no  need  to  visit  it 
at  all;  for  the  real  subject  of  the  poem  is  entirely  inde- 
pendent of  any  special  place  or  scene.  But  to  Scott 
Melrose  is  the  end  and  aim  of  his  description :  the  tracery, 
the  carved  foliage  are  to  him  essential  matters,  and  it 
is  their  beauty  and  that  alone  which  he  seeks  to  convey. 
For  the  natural  wonders  of  Staffa  he  finds  no  adequate 
words  of  description ;  but  the  distant  sight  of  lona  across 
the  sea  suggests  to  him  the  contrast,  not  indeed  very 
original,  but  expressed  with  a  solemn  sincerity,  between 
the  works  of  eternal  and  mortal  architecture.  Words- 
worth, when  he  visited  Staffa,  distressed  by  his  fellow- 
tourists,  wrote  four  sonnets  of  unequal  merit,  the  aim  of 
which  is  not  to  describe,  but  to  embody  the  reflections 


INTRODUCTION  xxix 

which  the  place  aroused.  One  of  these  is  the  obvious 
superiority  of  Nature  to  the  works  of  man,  and  here  he 
is  at  one  with  Scott;  but,  while  the  sight  of  the  pillared 
cave  itself  is  enough  to  awake  this  thought,  Scott  needs 
some  concrete  object  on  which  to  found  his  contrast.  To 
Keats,  on  the  other  hand,  neither  local  description  nor 
abstract  reflection  was  necessary:  Fingal's  cave  was 
merely  an  analogy  to  the  visions  of  fabled  beauty  among 
which  his  mind  dwelt.  It  called  up  memories  of  Aladdin's 
palace  and  the  city  of  the  Apocalypse,  and  the  chieftains 
and  bards  of  Scotland  whose  shades  Wordsworth  invoked 
were  forgotten  to  frame  forth  the  apparition  of  Lycidas, 
washed  ashore  on  the  threshold  of  the  'rugged  wonder' 
and  disappearing  from  sight  in  its  watery  floor. 

The  concrete  quality  of  Scott's  imagination  is  nowhere 
so  noticeable  as  in  his  love  of  the  names  of  places  and  his 
power  to  invest  them  with  charm.  Milton,  from  his  stores 
of  classical  and  romantic  learning,  gave  magic  and  sug- 
gestiveness  to  mere  names,  Aspramont  and  Montalban, 
Ternate  and  Tidore,  Namancos  and  Bayona;  and  there 
is  an  echo  of  Milton  in  Scott's  famous  invocation  of  the 
horn  of  Roland,  with  its  allusions  to  Fontarabia  and 
Roncesvalles,  on  the  field  of  Flodden.  His  love,  however, 
was  concentrated  upon  the  places  of  which  he  wrote. 
Their  names  contained  a  subtle  music  for  him:  at  the 
end  of  his  life,  when,  worn  out  with  toil  and  unrefreshed 
by  foreign  travel,  he  returned  home  to  die,  the  familiar 
scenes  of  Tweedside  roused  him  from  the  torpor  in  which 
he  lay  during  the  last  journey  from  Edinburgh  to  Abbots- 


XXX  INTRODUCTION 

ford  and  'presently  he  murmured  a  name  or  two — 
"Gala  Water,  surely — Buckholm — Torwoodlee." '  Each 
name,  with  its  historical  and  personal  associations,  ac- 
quired an  individuality  of  its  own.  The  mere  mention  of 
it  was  a  work  of  love,  and  through  such  lines  as 

And  Jedwood,  Eske,  and  Teviotdale, 

Have  to  proud  Angus  come; 
And  all  the  Merse  and  Lauderdale 

Have  risen  with  haughty  Home 

we  feel  the  pulse  of  passion  beating  and  turning  a  cata- 
logue of  names  into  a  triumphant  chant.  It  is  not  that 
there  is  any  special  art  in  Scott's  choice  or  arrangement 
of  words.  His  descriptive  epithets  are  for  the  most  part 
conventional:  'Barnard's  towers'  are  'old,'  Durham 
cathedral  is  'huge  and  vast.'  It  would  be  difficult  to 
parallel  in  Scott  the  perfection  of  phrase  and  music  which 
Wordsworth  achieved  on  Scott's  own  ground  in  such 

lines  as 

And  Dryborough,  where  with  chiming  Tweed 
The  lintwliites  sing  in  chorus 
or 

The  swan  on  still  St  Mary's  lake 
Float  double,  swan  and  shadow 

or  to  find  in  Scott  the  infinite  beauty  and  romantic 
suggestiveness  of 

Breaking  the  silence  of  the  seas 

Among  the  farthest  Hebrides. 

But,  if  Scott's  verse  has  less  art,  the  emotion  with  which 
he  contemplates  the  scenes  that  were  the  earliest  food 
of  his  imagination  makes  itself  felt  in  every  line  and 


INTRODUCTION  XXXI 

brings  out  the  inherent  picturesqueness  and  nobiHty  of 
even  the  most  simple  names.  Even  when  he  wrote  of 
places  at  some  distance  from  Scotland  and  the  Border, 
as  in  Rokehy,  his  sense  of  the  beauty  of  scenery  and  the 
contrast  between  naked  moor  and  wooded  valley  com- 
municated the  same  power  to  his  verse.  Rokehy  is  in  no 
sense  his  best  poem,  but  it  contains,  in  the  course  of  a 
complicated  and  rather  sentimental  story,  descriptions 
and  landscapes  abounding  in  local  names  which  are  cer- 
tainly not  inferior  in  power  and  appropriateness  to  more 
celebrated  passages,  while  the  lyric  'O,  Brignal  banks 
are  wild  and  fair'  has  the  natural  ease  and  charm  of 
movement  and  style  which  are  so  remarkable  in  the 
ballads  of  Rosabelle  and  Lochinvar.  If  any  example  of 
Scott's  ability  to  deal  nobly  with  a  noble  scene  is  needed, 
the  lines  dealing  with  Durham  in  Marmion  are  a  case  in 
point,  where  the  solemn  associations  of  the  place  and  the 
majesty  of  the  great  church  on  its  peninsula  above  the 
Wear  are  enhanced  by  the  prelude  enumerating  the 
resting-places  of  St  Cuthbert's  body: 

Chester-le-Street  and  Ripon  saw 
His  holy  corpse,  ere  Wardilaw 

Hail'd  him  with  joy  and  fear; 
And,  after  many  wanderings  past, 
He  chose  his  lordly  seat  at  last, 
Where  his  cathedral,  huge  and  vast. 

Looks  down  upon  the  Wear. 

For  rapidity  of  movement,  plainness  of  diction,  simplicity 
of  thought  and  nobility  of  manner  this  passage,  rising 


xxxii  INTRODUCTION 

to  its  fine  climax,  could  not  be  bettered;  and  the  part 
which  place-names  play  in  it  is  essential  to  its  attraction. 
Or,  again,  in  Scott's  description  of  the  camp  of  James  IV 
as  seen  from  Blackford  hill,  the  central  object  of  the 
picture,  the  city  of  Edinburgh  cHmbing  up  the  ridge  to 
the  point  'where  the  huge  Castle  holds  its  state'  and 
calling  forth  the  cry  of  the  poet's  affection  and  devotion, 
'  Mine  own  romantic  town ! ',  and  its  background  of  the 
Forth,  the  Ochils  and  the  shores  of  Fife  and  East  Lothian, 
give  the  whole  scene  an  added  splendour  and  nobility. 

This  love  of  place  and  his  power  of  communicating  it 
by  the  most  simple  and  direct  methods  are  the  chief 
secret  of  the  permanent  fascination  of  Scott's  poetry. 
Added  to  these  and  closely  connected  with  them  are  a 
similar  love  and  power  with  regard  to  history  and  legend. 
Scott  brought  his  imagination  to  bear  upon  facts  collected, 
as  his  notes  to  his  poems  and  novels  show,  with  the  zeal 
and  patience  of  an  accomplished  antiquary.  His  lists  of 
names  of  knights  and  nobles  are  no  less  vivid  and  at- 
tractive than  his  place-catalogues:  such  names  stood  as 
living  symbols  of  the  pride  and  valour  of  the  past.  His 
actual  treatment  of  history  in  his  narratives  is  always 
cavaHer.  His  method,  like  that  of  Shakespeare  in  his 
historical  plays,  was  to  give  his  material  the  most  effective 
form  in  which  it  could  strike  the  imagination.  In  no  case 
is  there  any  necessity  for  checking  fiction,  in  poetry  or 
prose,  too  closely  by  historical  fact.  History,  used  in 
connexion  with  imaginative  work,  is  no  more  than  its 
setting:    the  licence  which   transposes  and  re-arranges 


INTRODUCTION  XXXlll 

facts  and  dates,  in  order  to  enhance  the  effect  of  a  story 
and  stamp  its  characters  with  hfe,  is  quite  permissible. 
It  does  not  shock  us  to  find  king  James  V  in  opposition 
to  an  imaginary  Roderick  Dhu,  a  head  of  the  house  of 
Douglas  whose  age  and  parentage  agree  with  no  genea- 
logical tables  of  the  family  lurking  in  the  Highlands  with 
a  daughter  unknown  to  history,  or  chronology  freely 
tampered  with  in  the  course  of  Bruce's  wanderings.  Our 
interest  lies  in  the  disguised  king,  in  Douglas  and  Ellen, 
in  Bruce  himself:  the  freely  treated  historical  basis  is  a 
purely  secondary  matter.  But  there  are  points  in  which 
a  general  historical  accuracy  may  be  preserved  and  is 
even  necessary  to  full  effect;  and  in  these  Scott  was  not 
always  careful.  His  three  earliest  and  most  popular  poems 
had  for  their  setting  the  life  of  the  sixteenth  century, 
which  in  Scotland,  as  has  been  said,  retained  its  medieval 
colour  while  a  process  of  transformation  was  going  on 
in  England.  Castles  and  monasteries  are  essential  to  the 
picture;  and,  while  it  does  not  matter  in  the  least  that 
Marmion,  in  spite  of  his  vices  a  lively  example  of  the 
medieval  knight,  is  a  purely  imaginary  being  and  the 
lord  of  manors  and  castles  which  other  families  possessed 
at  the  date  of  Flodden,  it  does  matter  whether  castles  and 
monasteries,  institutions  with  permanent  and  well-defined 
features  of  their  own,  are  correctly  described  or  not, 
especially  by  an  author  to  whom  detail  is  of  great  sig- 
nificance. Scott  had  a  great  eye  for  military  antiquities: 
his  terms  do  not  always  stand  the  light  of  modern  criti- 
cism, but  his  castles,  Branksome,   Norham,   Crichton, 


XXXIV  INTRODUCTION 

Tantallon  and  Stirling,  are  real  medieval  castles.  If  the 
magic  castle  in  the  vale  of  St  John  must  have  struck 
king  Arthur,  in  pre-medieval  days,  as  a  portent  in  more 
senses  than  one,  the  splendid  sunlit  vision  which  greeted 
De  Vaux  at  a  later  date  would  have  been  a  most  appro- 
priate reward  for  the  vigil  of  a  knight  of  the  fourteenth 
or  fifteenth  century.  While,  however,  we  can  study  these 
descriptions  with  pleasure  and  profit  and  admire  Scott's 
pictures  of  battles  and  sieges  and  feasts  in  castle -halls 
as  generally  true  and  always  life-like,  he  was  never  at 
home  with  the  ecclesiastical  side  of  his  subject.  This 
probably  attracted  him  less,  or  at  best  was  a  picturesque 
and  mysterious  element  of  the  past  with  which,  apart 
from  the  ruins  left  by  those  who  came,  as  he  said,  to 
'cleanse  our  chancel  from  the  rags  of  Rome,'  he  had  no 
fundamental  sympathy.  In  the  notes  to  the  present 
volume,  some  of  the  remarkable  perversions  of  history 
which  attend  his  fine  narrative  of  the  voyage  of  the  nuns 
from  Whitby  to  Lindisfarne  are  commented  upon.  These 
are  too  numerous  to  notice  here  in  detail;  but  it  may  be 
said  that  the  whole  circumstances  of  the  story  are  a 
violation  of  historical  truth,  both  as  regards  nunneries  in 
general  and  the  special  places  mentioned  in  the  poem, 
while  the  culminating  point,  the  walling-up  of  the  guilty 
nun  and  her  paramour,  is  the  standard  example  of  an 
absurd  and  often-repeated  legend  founded  upon  the  mis- 
understanding of  the  process  of  enclosing  or  immuring 
anchorites  in  special  cells  to  which  they  retired  volun- 
tarily for  purposes  of  devotion.  This  is  an  exceptional 


INTRODUCTION  XXXV 

case;  but  it  may  be  said  as  a  general  rule  that  Scott's 
treatment  of  ecclesiastical  matters  was  always  tinged  by 
fancy  and  that  his  monks,  friars  and  priests,  who  are 
often  associated  with  striking  passages,  have  little  more 
connexion  with  truth  than  the  monks  and  hermits  of 
so-called  Gothic  romance.  The  historical  value  of   his 
work  may  be  instanced  by  comparing  two  of  his  best- 
known  novels.    Kenilworth,  in  spite  of  the  most  daring 
anachronisms,    is   a   splendid   and   spirited   picture   of 
EHzabethan  court-hfe,  the  general  truth  of  which  no  one 
could  contest.  Ivanhoe,  on  the  other  hand,  while  it  lacks 
no  splendour  and  spirit,  is  so  full  of  fundamental  errors 
that  it  is  actually  a  misleading  picture  of  the  life  of  a 
period  with  which  Scott  had  no  great  famiharity.   At  the 
same  time,  whatever  Scott's  historical  deficiencies  may 
have  been,  he  opened  men's  eyes  to  the  living  interest 
of  the  middle  ages,  and  his  work  in  poetry  and  prose 
effected  a  salutary  change  in  the  general  attitude  towards 
the  past  and  quickened  historical  and  antiquarian  zeal, 
Scott's  activity  as  a  poet  is  merely  an  episode  in  his 
life.  The  circumstances  which  led  him  to  abandon  poetry 
are  detailed  in  his  various  prefaces.    He  was  under  no 
illusion  as  to  his  powers:  he  regarded  the  gift  of  verse 
somewhat  lightly  as  a  natural  talent  to  be  used  so  long 
as  it  was  of  effective  value.   He  had  no  special  message 
to  give:  his  object  was  to  please  his  readers  by  telling 
them  tales  in  verse,  and,  when  their  attention  flagged,  he 
changed  his  method  to  tell  them  tales  in  prose.  His  gift 
as  a  story-teller  is  pre-eminent  throughout  his  poems. 


XXXVl  INTRODUCTION 

Each  has  a  definite  and  carefully  constructed  plot,  which 
is  developed  with  the  utmost  skill.  It  does  not  take 
much  insight  to  discover  the  secrets  which  he  reserves  to 
hold  our  interest  in  suspense.  If,  however,  we  easily  re- 
cognise De  Wilton  in  the  disguised  palmer  and  foresee 
the  inevitable  unmasking  of  Marmion's  treachery,  it  only 
spurs  our  curiosity  for  the  arrival  of  the  critical  moments 
in  which  the  mysteries  are  cleared.  All  through  The  Lady 
of  the  Lake  it  is  quite  evident  that  '  Snowdoun's  lord  is 
Scotland's  king,'  and  no  one  is  surprised  to  find  that 
Fitz- James'  Highland  guide  is  Roderick  Dhu;  but  this 
does  not  detract  from  the  effect  of  Roderick's  declaration 
of  his  identity  or  of  the  chmax  in  which  Fitz- James  re- 
veals himself  as  the  king  in  the  midst  of  his  court.  These 
things  are  obviously  not  apparent  to  the  other  actors  in 
the  story,  and  we  share  their  astonishment  in  the  hour 
of  discovery.  The  power  of  enchaining  our  interest  in  the 
emotions  of  imaginary  characters  is  essential  to  the 
writer  of  fiction;  and  each  of  Scott's  poems,  however 
conventional  the  elements  of  its  plot,  is  a  drama  in  which 
the  fortunes  of  the  leading  personages  are  for  the  moment 
our  own. 

There  is  no  doubt,  however,  that  Scott  found  greater 
freedom  for  his  imaginative  genius  in  the  novel  than  in 
the  poem.  Rokehy  and  The  Lord  of  the  Isles,  with  all  their 
skill  of  plot,  are  less  fresh  and  spontaneous  than  their 
predecessors.  It  is  perhaps  too  much  to  say  this  of  their 
form.  Rokehy  contains  many  beautiful  passages,  and,  if 
we  had  no  other  poem  of  Scott's,  The  Lord  of  the  Isles 


INTRODUCTION  XXXvii 

would  assuredly  be  reckoned  a  high  example  of  narrative 
in  verse.  Yet  neither  gave  signs  of  progress  or  novelty: 
they  were  further  exercises  in  a  manner  to  which  the 
public  was  already  accustomed  and,  as  such,  were  re- 
ceived with  slackened  enthusiasm.  Scott's  choice  of  new 
historical  periods  did  not  greatly  affect  his  treatment. 
His  personages  and  their  traits  of  character  were  not 
essentially  different  from  those  of  his  eariier  poems. 
Knights,  generous  in  friendship  and  hostihty,  ladies  who 
pass  through  dangers  and  extremes  of  fortune  on  their 
way  to  happy  marriage,  freebooters  with  a  rough  chivalry 
to  counteract  their  vices,  pages  and  minstrels  were  still 
his  theme.  In  The  Lady  of  the  Lake  there  had  been  a 
strong  element  of  sentimentaHty  which  distinguishes  it 
from  the  strenuous  spirit  prominent  in  The  Lay  of  the 
Last  Minstrel  and  Marmion.  In  Rokehy  sentimentality 
pervades  the  whole  story,  and  the  plot  by  which  Matilda 
and  the  heir  of  Mortham  are  eventually  united  is  fan- 
tastic in  the  extreme.  If  the  action  of  the  story  is  violent, 
it  is  violent  by  fits,  and  there  are  intervals  in  which,  com- 
pared with  the  constantly  rapid  transitions  of  the  eariier 
poems,  it  drags  considerably.  The  Lord  of  the  Isles,  on 
the  other  hand,  is  inferior  to  Marmion  and  The  Lady  of 
the  Lake  mainly  because  it  has  very  little  to  add  to  them : 
the  finale  on  the  field  of  Bannockburn  suffers  because 
Scott  had  already  surpassed  it  in  his  description  of  the 
battle  of  Flodden,  while  the  supposed  miracle  wrought 
by  the  dumb  page,  whose  position  on  a  neighbouring  hill 
at  once  recalls  that  of  Clare  in  Marmion,  is  a  theatrical 


xxxvni  INTRODUCTION 

touch  in  no  way  comparable  to  the  recognition  which 
forms  the  chmax  of  The  Lady  of  the  Lake.  The  dumb  page, 
again,  Edith  in  disguise,  is  a  weak  point  in  the  story :  not 
only  do  we  know  at  once  who  she  is,  but  we  feel  that  in 
real  life  no  one  could  have  failed  to  see  that  she  was  a 
woman  and  that  the  inconstant  Ronald  could  not  have 
been  deceived  so  long  by  so  transparent  a  concealment. 
At  the  end  of  the  poem,  while  much  has  delighted  us,  the 
effect  of  the  main  story  is  tame,  and,  looking  back  to  the 
variety  and  energy  of  Marmion,  we  feel  that  the  perfect 
unity  and  balance  of  the  elements  which  go  to  the  making 
of  Scott's  favourite  type  of  tale  are  somewhat  impaired. 
As  a  novelist,  Scott  had  the  opportunity  of  availing 
himself  of  material  which,  as  a  poet,  he  found  himself 
debarred  from  using.  The  heroes  and  heroines  of  most  of 
his  novels  are  very  like  those  of  his  poems :  Malcolm  and 
Ellen,  Redmond  and  Matilda,  Ronald  and  Edith  are  re- 
peated over  and  over  again,  the  men  gallant  and  senti- 
mental, the  ladies  sentimental  and  faithful,  passing 
through  a  humorous  world  without  gaining  amusement 
from  it.  The  world  of  his  poems,  however,  is  active  and 
troublesome  with  little  room  for  humour;  and,  if  Scott 
is  animated,  he  never  ceases  to  be  serious.  In  prose  he 
departed  from  the  consistent  dignity  which  verse  de- 
manded and  varied  his  narrative  with  an  inexhaustible 
fertility  in  reproducing  the  simplest  and  homeliest  traits 
of  character.  As  a  storehouse  of  the  manifold  diversity 
of  human  life,  his  novels  are  second  in  English  only  to 
the  plays  of  Shakespeare ;  their  brilliant  pictures  of  action 


INTRODUCTION  xxxix 

are  drawn  with  a  shrewd  wisdom  and  humour;  and,  while 
the  people  round  whom  the  story  unfolds  itself  are  often 
conventional  and  uninteresting,  the  characters,  serious 
and  comic,  which  are  developed  incidentally  in  its  course, 
are  immortal.  His  poems  need  a  constant  elevation  of 
spirit  which  cannot  descend  to  the  trivial.  Such  an  eleva- 
tion, where  the  poet  has  no  conscious  mission  and  dwells 
in  no  world  of  thought  detached  from  every-day  life, 
cannot  be  maintained;  and  Scott's  later  poems  are  a 
witness  to  a  slight  but  natural  decline  of  which  no  one 
was  more  conscious  than  himself.  In  prose  fiction  he 
found  himself  on  surer  ground,  still  face  to  face  with  the 
scenery  and  history  which  he  loved,  but  far  nearer  the 
interplay  of  the  heroic  and  ludicrous  elements  in  human 
nature,  to  which  he  was  acutely  sensitive,  than  while 
fettered  by  the  limits  of  verse. 

Yet,  allowing  Scott's  limitations  as  a  poet  and  that 
poetry  was  not  his  supreme  gift,  the  fact  of  his  poetical 
influence  remains.  His  work  was  the  medium  through 
which  his  contemporaries  learned  to  recognise  and  appre- 
ciate the  change  in  literary  taste  and  sentiment  which 
accompanied  and  was  closely  akin  to  the  great  political 
changes  of  their  day :  it  is  still  the  medium  through  which 
many  still  learn  to  love  poetry,  and  the  echoes  of  its 
stirring  and  simple  music  are  still  heard  when  the  ear 
has  accustomed  itself  to  more  elaborate  harmonies.  The 
dramatic  force  of  its  narrative  passages,  the  alternate 
gaiety  and  plaintiveness  of  the  lyrics  which  diversify 
them  and  haunt  the  memory  as  Fitz-Eustace's  song 


xl  INTRODUCTION 

haunted  the  dying  Marmion  at  Flodden,  are  remembered 
when  poetry  which  deals  with  more  profound  themes  is 
less  easy  to  recall.  This  is  not  the  place  to  speak  of  the 
life  and  character  of  its  author,  simple  and  modest,  using 
his  gifts  freely  and  as  if  they  were  no  more  than  the 
commonest  possessions  in  the  service  of  others,  courteous 
and  kindly  to  all  men  and  so  tenacious  of  his  own  honour 
and  independence  that  he  wore  himself  out  in  the  en- 
deavour to  retrieve  the  misfortunes  of  his  later  life  and 
died  before  he  could  fully  enjoy  his  success.  That  cha- 
racter, however,  is  mirrored  in  the  sincerity  of  feeling 
and  straightforward  lucidity  of  utterance  which  are  in- 
separable from  his  verse,  and  these  qualities  ensure  a 
permanence  for  poetic  work  which  no  mere  skill  in  the 
subtleties  of  musical  rhythm  can  secure  to  artificial  sen- 
timent and  diction.  These  are  too  often  veils  beneath 
which  scantiness  of  thought  is  hidden.  If  Scott's  thought 
was  not  deep,  if  it  never  soared  high,  he  communicated 
it  directly  and  without  reserve  or  pretence. 


THE  GRAY  BROTHER 

The  Pope  he  was  saying  the  high,  high  mass. 

All  on  Saint  Peter's  day, 
With  the  power  to  him  given,  by  the  saints  in  heaven, 

To  wash  men's  sins  away. 

The  Pope  he  was  saying  the  blessed  mass,  5 

And  the  people  kneel' d  around, 
And  from  each  man's  soul  his  sins  did  pass. 

As  he  kiss'd  the  holy  ground. 

And  all,  among  the  crowded  throng. 

Was  still,  both  limb  and  tongue,  lo 

While,  through  vaulted  roof,  and  aisles  aloof. 

The  holy  accents  rung. 

At  the  hohest  word  he  quiver'd  for  fear. 

And  falter' d  in  the  sound — 
And,  when  he  would  the  chahce  rear,  15 

He  dropp'd  it  to  the  ground. 

'  The  breath  of  one  of  evil  deed 

Pollutes  our  sacred  day ; 
He  has  no  portion  in  our  creed, 

No  part  in  what  I  say.  20 

T.  S.  I 


THE  GRAY  BROTHER 

'  A  being,  whom  no  blessed  word 

To  ghostly  peace  can  bring ; 
A  wretch,  at  whose  approach  abhorr'd, 

Recoils  each  holy  thing. 

'  Up,  up,  unhappy !  haste,  arise !  25 

My  adjuration  fear! 
I  charge  thee  not  to  stop  my  voice, 

Nor  longer  tarry  here ! ' 

Amid  them  all  a  pilgrim  kneel'd, 

In  gown  of  sackcloth  gray;  30 

Far  journeying  from  his  native  field, 

He  first  saw  Rome  that  day. 

For  forty  days  and  nights  so  drear, 

I  ween  he  had  not  spoke. 
And,  save  with  bread  and  water  clear,  35 

His  fast  he  ne'er  had  broke. 

Amid  the  penitential  flock, 

Seem'd  none  more  bent  to  pray; 
But,  when  the  Holy  Father  spoke. 

He  rose  and  went  his  way.  40 

Again  unto  his  native  land 

His  weary  course  he  drew, 
To  Lothian's  fair  and  fertile  strand, 

And  Pentland's  mountains  blue. 


THE  GRAY  BROTHER  3 

His  unblest  feet  his  native  seat,  45 

Mid  Eske's  fair  woods,  regain ; 
Thro'  woods  more  fair  no  stream  more  sweet 

Rolls  to  the  eastern  main. 

And  lords  to  meet  the  pilgrim  came. 

And  vassals  bent  the  knee;  50 

For  all  'mid  Scotland's  chiefs  of  fame. 

Was  none  more  fam'd  than  he. 

And  boldly  for  his  country  still 

In  battle  he  had  stood. 
Ay,  even  when  on  the  banks  of  Till,  55 

Her  noblest  pour'd  their  blood 

Sweet  are  the  paths,  O  passing  sweet ! 

By  Eske's  fair  streams  that  run. 
O'er  airy  steep,  through  copsewood  deep, 

Impervious  to  the  sun.  60 

There  the  rapt  poet's  step  may  move. 

And  yield  the  muse  the  day  ; 
There  Beauty,  led  by  timid  Love, 

May  scorn  the  tell-tale  ray; 

From  that  fair  dome,  where  suit  is  paid,  65 

By  blast  of  bugle  free. 
To  Auchendinny's  hazel  glade, 

And  haunted  Woodhouselee. 


THE  GRAY  BROTHER 

Who  knows  not  Melville's  beechy  grove, 

And  Roslin's  rocky  glen,  7° 

Dalkeith,  which  all  the  virtues  love. 
And  classic  Hawthornden? 

Yet  never  a  path,  from  day  to  day, 

The  pilgrim's  footsteps  range, 
Save  but  the  sohtary  way  75 

To  Burndale's  ruin'd  grange. 

A  woful  place  was  that,  I  ween. 

As  sorrow  could  desire; 
For  nodding  to  the  fall  was  each  crumbHng  wall, 

And  the  roof  was  scath'd  with  fire.  80 

It  fell  upon  a  summer's  eve. 

While,  on  Carnethy's  head. 
The  last  faint  gleams  of  the  sun's  low  beams 

Had  streak' d  the  gray  with  red; 

And  the  convent  bell  did  vespers  tell,  85 

Newbattle's  oaks  among, 
And  mingled  with  the  solemn  knell 

Our  Ladye's  evening  song: 

The  heavy  knell,  the  choir's  faint  swell. 

Came  slowly  down  the  wind,  90 

And  on  the  pilgrim's  ear  they  fell. 
As  his  wonted  path  he  did  find. 


THE  GRAY  BROTHER  5 

Deep  sunk  in  thought,  I  ween,  he  was. 

Nor  ever  rais'd  his  eye. 
Until  he  came  to  that  dreary  place,  95 

Which  did  all  in  ruins  lie. 

He  gaz'd  on  the  walls,  so  scath'd  with  fire. 

With  many  a  bitter  groan — 
And  there  was  aware  of  a  Gray  Friar, 

Resting  him  on  a  stone.  loo 

'Now,  Christ  thee  save! '  said  the  Gray  Brother; 

'  Some  pilgrim  thou  seemest  to  be.' 
But  in  sore  amaze  did  Lord  Albert  gaze. 

Nor  answer  again  made  he. 

'  O  come  ye  from  east,  or  come  ye  from  west,  105 

Or  bring  reliques  from  over  the  sea; 
Or  come  ye  from  the  shrine  of  St  James  the  divine. 

Or  St  John  of  Beverly?  '— 

'  I  come  not  from  the  shrine  of  St  James  the  divine. 
Nor  bring  reliques  from  over  the  sea;  no 

I  bring  but  a  curse  from  our  father,  the  Pope, 
Which  for  ever  will  cling  to  me.' — 

'  Now,  woful  pilgrim,  say  not  so ! 

But  kneel  thee  down  by  me. 
And  shrive  thee  so  clean  of  thy  deadly  sin,  115 

That  absolved  thou  mayst  be.' — 


6  THE  GRAY  BROTHER 

'  And  who  art  thou,  thou  Gray  Brother, 

That  I  should  shrive  to  thee, 
When  He,  to  whom  are  given  the  keys  of  earth  and  heaven. 

Has  no  power  to  pardon  me? ' —  120 

'  O  I  am  sent  from  a  distant  cHme, 

Five  thousand  miles  away. 
And  all  to  absolve  a  foul,  foul  crime. 

Done  here  'twixt  night  and  day.' 

The  pilgrim  kneel'd  him  on  the  sand,  125 

And  thus  began  his  saye — 
When  on  his  neck  an  ice-cold  hand 

Did  that  Gray  Brother  laye. 


EXTRACTS  FROM 
THE  LAY  OF  THE  LAST  MINSTREL 

I.  Branksome  Hall 

The  feast  was  over  in  Branksome  tower. 

And  the  Ladye  had  gone  to  her  secret  bower ; 

Her  bower  that  was  guarded  by  word  and  by  spell. 

Deadly  to  hear,  and  deadly  to  tell — 

Jesu  Maria,  shield  us  well !  5 

No  living  wight,  save  the  Ladye  alone. 

Had  dared  to  cross  the  threshold  stone. 


BRANKSOME  HALL  7 

The  tables  were  drawn,  it  was  idlesse  all  ; 

Knight,  and  page,  and  household  squire, 
Loiter'd  through  the  lofty  hall,  lo 

Or  crowded  round  the  ample  fire : 
The  stag-hounds,  weary  with  the  chase, 

Lay  stretch'd  upon  the  rushy  floor. 
And  urged,  in  dreams,  the  forest  race. 

From  Teviot-stone  to  Eskdale-moor.  15 

Nine-and-twenty  knights  of  fame 

Hung  their  shields  in  Branksome  hall ; 
Nine-and-twenty  squires  of  name 

Brought  them  their  steeds  to  bower  from  stall  ; 

Nine-and-twenty  yeomen  tall  20 

Waited,  duteous,  on  them  all: 
They  were  all  knights  of  mettle  true, 
Kinsmen  to  the  bold  Buccleuch. 

Ten  of  them  were  sheathed  in  steel, 

With  belted  sword,  and  spur  on  heel :  25 

They  quitted  not  their  harness  bright. 

Neither  by  day,  nor  yet  by  night : 

They  lay  down  to  rest. 

With  corslet  laced, 
Pillow'd  on  buckler  cold  and  hard ;  3° 

They  carved  at  the  meal 

With  gloves  of  steel. 
And  they  drank  the  red  wine  through  the  helmet  barr'd. 

/ 


8      THE  LAY  OF  THE  LAST  MINSTREL 

Ten  squires,  ten  yeomen,  mail-clad  men. 

Waited  the  beck  of  the  warders  ten ;  35 

Thirty  steeds,  both  fleet  and  wight, 

Stood  saddled  in  stable  day  and  night. 

Barbed  with  frontlet  of  steel,  I  trow. 

And  with  Jedwood-axe  at  saddlebow; 

A  hundred  more  fed  free  in  stall : —  4° 

Such  was  the  custom  of  Branksome  hall. 

Why  do  these  steeds  stand  ready  dight? 
Why  watch  these  warriors,  arm'd,  by  night? — 
They  watch  to  hear  the  blood-hound  baying : 
They  watch  to  hear  the  war-horn  braying ;  45 

To  see  St  George's  red  cross  streaming, 
To  see  the  midnight  beacon  gleaming : 
They  watch  against  Southern  force  and  guile. 
Lest  Scroop,  or  Howard,  or  Percy's  powers. 
Threaten  Branksome's  lordly  towers,  50 

From  Warkworth,  or  Naworth,  or  merry  CarHsle. 

Such  is  the  custom  of  Branksome  hall. — 

Many  a  valiant  knight  is  here; 
But  he,  the  chieftain  of  them  all, 
His  sword  hangs  rusting  on  the  wall,  55 

Beside  his  broken  spear. 
Bards  long  shall  tell. 
How  Lord  Walter  fell ! 
When  startled  burghers  fled,  afar. 
The  furies  of  the  Border  war;  60 

L     , 


BRANKSOME  HALL  9 

When  the  streets  of  high  Dunedin 
Saw  lances  gleam,  and  falchions  redden. 
And  heard  the  slogan's  deadly  yell — 
Then  the  Chief  of  Branksome  fell. 

Can  piety  the  discord  heal,  65 

Or  stanch  the  death-feud's  enmity? 
Can  Christian  lore,  can  patriot  zeal. 

Can  love  of  blessed  charity? 
No !  vainly  to  each  holy  shrine. 

In  mutual  pilgrimage,  they  drew;  70 

Implor'd,  in  vain,  the  grace  divine 

For  chiefs  their  own  red  falchions  slew ; 
While  Cessford  owns  the  rule  of  Carr, 

While  Ettrick  boasts  the  line  of  Scott, 
The  slaughter' d  chiefs,  the  mortal  jar,  75 

The  havoc  of  the  feudal  war,  i 

Shall  never,  never  be  forgot ! 


II.  Melrose  by  Moonlight 

Spreading  herbs,  and  flowerets  bright, 
Glisten'd  with  the  dew  of  night; 
Nor  herb,  nor  floweret,  glisten'd  there. 
But  was  carv'd  in  the  cloister-arches  as  fair. 
The  Monk  gazed  long  on  the  lovely  moon. 
Then  into  the  night  he  looked  forth ; 


10  THE  LAY  OF  THE  LAST  MINSTREL 

And  red  and  bright  the  streamers  Hght 

Were  dancing  in  the  glowing  north. 
So  had  he  seen,  in  fair  Castile, 

The  youth  in  gHttering  squadrons  start,  lo 

Sudden  the  flying  jennet  wheel. 
And  hurl  the  unexpected  dart. 
He  knew,  by  the  streamers  that  shot  so  bright, 
That  spirits  were  riding  the  northern  hght. 

By  a  steel-clench'd  postern  door,  15 

They  enter'd  now  the  chancel  tall ; 
The  darken'd  roof  rose  high  aloof 

On  pillars  lofty  and  light  and  small : 
The  key-stone,  that  lock'd  each  ribbed  aisle. 
Was  a  fleur-de-lys,  or  a  quatre-f euille ;  20 

The  corbells  were  carv'd  grotesque  and  grim ; 
And  the  pillars,  with  cluster'd  shafts  so  trim. 
With  base  and  with  capital  flourish' d  around, 
Seem'd  bundles  of  lances  which  garlands  had  bound. 

Full  many  a  scutcheon  and  banner  riven,  25 

Shook  to  the  cold  night-wind  of  heaven. 

Around  the  screened  altar's  pale ; 
And  there  the  dying  lamps  did  burn, 
Before  thy  low  and  lonely  urn, 
O  gallant  Chief  of  Otterburne !  3° 

And  thine,  dark  Knight  of  Liddesdale ! 
O  fading  honours  of  the  dead ! 
O  high  ambition,  lowly  laid ! 


MELROSE  BY  MOONLIGHT  II 

The  moon  on  the  east  oriel  shone 

Through  slender  shafts  of  shapely  stone,  35 

By  foHag'd  tracery  combin'd; 
Thou  would'st  have  thought  some  fairy's  hand 
'Twixt  poplars  straight  the  ozier  wand, 

In  many  a  freakish  knot  had  twin'd; 
Then  fram'd  a  spell,  when  the  work  was  done,       4° 
And  chang'd  the  willow-wreaths  to  stone. 
The  silver  light,  so  pale  and  faint, 
Show'd  many  a  prophet,  and  many  a  saint. 

Whose  image  on  the  glass  was  dyed; 
Full  in  the  midst,  his  Cross  of  Red  45 

Triumphant  Michael  brandished. 

And  trampled  the  Apostate's  pride. 
The  moon-beam  kiss'd  the  holy  pane. 
And  threw  on  the  pavement  a  bloody  stain. 

III.  The  Bale-Fire 

The  ready  page,  with  hurried  hand, 
Awak'd  the  need-fire's  slumbering  brand. 

And  ruddy  blush' d  the  heaven : 
For  a  sheet  of  flame,  from  the  turret  high, 
Wav'd  hke  a  blood-flag  on  the  sky,  5 

All  flaring  and  uneven ; 
And  soon  a  score  of  fires,  I  ween. 
From  height,  and  hill,  and  cHff,  were  seen; 
Each  with  warUke  tidings  fraught. 
Each  from  each  the  signal  caught;  lo 


12  THE  LAY  OF  THE  LAST  MINSTREL 

Each  after  each  they  glanc'd  to  sight, 

As  stars  arise  upon  the  night. 

They  gleam'd  on  many  a  dusky  tarn, 

Haunted  by  the  lonely  earn  ; 

On  many  a  cairn's  grey  pyramid,  15 

Where  urns  of  mighty  chiefs  lie  hid ; 

Till  high  Dunedin  the  blazes  saw, 

From  Soltra  and  Dumpender  Law, 

And  Lothian  heard  the  Regent's  order. 

That  all  should  bowne  them  for  the  Border.       20 

The  hvelong  night  in  Branksome  rang 

The  ceaseless  sound  of  steel; 
The  castle-bell,  with  backward  clang. 

Sent  forth  the  larum  peal; 
Was  frequent  heard  the  heavy  jar,  25 

Where  massy  stone  and  iron  bar 
Were  piled  on  echoing  keep  and  tower. 
To  whelm  the  foe  with  deadly  shower; 
Was  frequent  heard  the  changing  guard, 
And  watch-word  from  the  sleepless  ward;  30 

While,  wearied  by  the  endless  din, 
Blood-hound  and  ban-dog  yelled  within. 

IV.  Caledonia 

Breathes  there  the  man,  with  soul  so  dead. 
Who  never  to  himself  hath  said. 
This  is  my  own,  my  native  land ! 


CALEDONIA  13 

Whose  heart  hath  ne'er  within  him  burn'd, 

As  home  his  footsteps  he  hath  turn'd,  5 

From  wandering  on  a  foreign  strand ! 
If  such  there  breathe,  go,  mark  him  well ; 
For  him  no  Minstrel  raptures  swell ; 
High  though  his  titles,  proud  his  name. 
Boundless  his  wealth  as  wish  can  claim ;  10 

Despite  those  titles,  power,  and  pelf. 
The  wretch,  concentred  all  in  self, 
Living,  shall  forfeit  fair  renown. 
And,  doubly  dying,  shall  go  down 
To  the  vile  dust,  from  whence  he  sprung,  15 

Unwept,  unhonour'd,  and  unsung. 

O  Caledonia !  stern  and  wild. 

Meet  nurse  for  a  poetic  child ! 

Land  of  brown  heath  and  shaggy  wood. 

Land  of  the  mountain  and  the  flood,  20 

Land  of  my  sires !  what  mortal  hand 

Can  e'er  untie  the  filial  band. 

That  knits  me  to  thy  rugged  strand ! 

Still  as  I  view  each  well-known  scene. 

Think  what  is  now,  and  what  hath  been,  25 

Seems  as,  to  me,  of  all  bereft. 

Sole  friends  thy  woods  and  streams  were  left; 

And  thus  I  love  them  better  still. 

Even  in  extremity  of  ill. 

By  Yarrow's  stream  still  let  me  stray,  30 

Though  none  should  guide  my  feeble  way; 


14      THE  LAY  OF  THE  LAST  MINSTREL 

Still  feel  the  breeze  down  Ettrick  break, 

Although  it  chill  my  wither' d  cheek; 

Still  lay  my  head  by  Teviot  Stone, 

Though  there,  forgotten  and  alone,  35 

The  Bard  may  draw  his  parting  groan. 


V.  The  Song  of  Albert  Gr^me 

It  was  an  English  ladye  bright, 

(The  sun  shines  fair  on  Carhsle  wall,) 
And  she  would  marry  a  Scottish  knight, 

For  Love  will  still  be  lord  of  all. 

BHthely  they  saw  the  rising  sun,  5 

When  he  shone  fair  on  Carhsle  wall ; 
But  they  were  sad  ere  day  was  done. 

Though  Love  was  still  the  lord  of  all. 

Her  sire  gave  brooch  and  jewel  fine, 

Where  the  sun  shines  fair  on  Carhsle  wall;  lo 

Her  brother  gave  but  a  flask  of  wine, 

For  ire  that  Love  was  lord  of  all. 

For  she  had  lands,  both  meadow  and  lea. 
Where  the  sun  shines  fair  on  Carlisle  wall ; 

And  he  swore  her  death,  ere  he  would  see  15 

A  Scottish  knight  the  lord  of  all ! 


THE  SONG  OF  ALBERT  GR^ME  15 

That  wine  she  had  not  tasted  well, 
(The  sun  shines  fair  on  Carlisle  wall,) 

When  dead  in  her  true  love's  arms  she  fell, 

For  Love  was  still  the  lord  of  all.  20 

He  pierc'd  her  brother  to  the  heart. 

Where  the  sun  shines  fair  on  Carlisle  wall : — 

So  perish  all  would  true  love  part. 
That  Love  may  still  be  lord  of  all ! 

And  then  he  took  the  cross  divine,  25 

(Where  the  sun  shines  fair  on  Carlisle  wall,) 

And  died  for  her  sake  in  Palestine  ; 
So  Love  was  still  the  lord  of  all. 

Now  all  ye  lovers,  that  faithful  prove, 

(The  sun  shines  fair  on  Carlisle  wall,)  30 

Pray  for  their  souls  who  died  for  love ; 

For  Love  shall  still  be  lord  of  all. 


VI.  Harold's  Song 

O  listen,  listen,  ladies  gay ! 

No  haughty  feat  of  arms  I  tell ; 
Soft  is  the  note,  and  sad  the  lay, 

That  mourns  the  lovely  Rosabelle. 

— '  Moor,  moor  the  barge,  ye  gallant  crew ! 

And,  gentle  ladye,  deign  to  stay ! 
Rest  thee  in  Castle  Ravensheuch, 

Nor  tempt  the  stormy  firth  to-day. 


l6  THE  LAY  OF  THE  LAST  MINSTREL 

'The  blackening  wave  is  edg'd  with  white: 

To  inch  and  rock  the  sea-mews  fly;  lo 

The  fishers  have  heard  the  Water-Sprite, 
Whose  screams  forebode  that  wreck  is  nigh. 

'  Last  night  the  gifted  Seer  did  view 
A  wet  shroud  swath' d  round  ladye  gay; 

Then  stay  thee,  Fair,  in  Ravensheuch:  15 

Why  cross  the  gloomy  firth  to-day? ' 

'  'Tis  not  because  Lord  Lindesay's  heir 

To-night  at  RosUn  leads  the  ball, 
But  that  my  ladye-mother  there, 

Sits  lonely  in  her  castle-hall. 


20 


'  'Tis  not  because  the  ring  they  ride. 

And  Lindesay  at  the  ring  rides  well, 
But  that  my  sire  the  wine  will  chide. 

If  'tis  not  fiU'd  by  Rosabelle.'— 

O'er  Roslin,  aU  that  dreary  night,  25 

A  wondrous  blaze  was  seen  to  gleam ; 

'Twas  broader  than  the  watch-fire's  Hght, 
And  redder  than  the  bright  moon-beam. 

It  glar'd  on  RosHn's  castled  rock. 

It  ruddied  all  the  copse-wood  glen;  30 

'Twas  seen  from  Dryden's  groves  of  oak. 

And  seen  from  cavern'd  Hawthornden. 


HAROLD'S  SONG  17 

Seem'd  all  on  fire  that  chapel  proud. 

Where  Roslin's  chiefs  uncoffin'd  He, 
Each  Baron,  for  a  sable  shroud,  35 

Sheath'd  in  his  iron  panoply. 

Seem'd  all  on  fire,  within,  around. 

Deep  sacristy  and  altar's  pale; 
Shone  every  pillar  foliage-bound. 

And  glimmer'd  all  the  dead  men's  mail.  40 

Blaz'd  battlement  and  pinnet  high, 

Blaz'd  every  rose-carv'd  buttress  fair — 

So  still  they  blaze,  when  fate  is  nigh 
The  lordly  line  of  high  St  Clair. 

There  are  twenty  of  Roslin's  barons  bold  45 

Lie  buried  within  that  proud  chapelle  ; 

Each  one  the  holy  vault  doth  hold — 
But  the  sea  holds  lovely  Rosabelle ! 

And  each  St  Clair  was  buried  there. 

With  candle,  with  book,  and  with  knell;  50 

But  the  sea-caves  rung,  and  the  wild  winds  sung, 

The  dirge  of  lovely  Rosabelle. 

VII.  Hymn  for  the  Dead 

That  day  of  wrath,  that  dreadful  day. 
When  heaven  and  earth  shall  pass  away. 
What  power  shall  be  the  sinner's  stay? 
How  shall  he  meet  that  dreadful  day? 

T.  S.  o 


l8  THE  LAY  OF  THE  LAST  MINSTREL 

When,  shriveling  Hke  a  parched  scroll,  5 

The  flaming  heavens  together  roll  ; 
When  louder  yet,  and  yet  more  dread, 
Swells  the  high  trump  that  wakes  the  dead ! 

Oh !  on  that  day,  that  wrathful  day, 

When  man  to  judgment  wakes  from  clay,  10 

Be  Thou  the  trembUng  sinner's  stay, 

Though  heaven  and  earth  shall  pass  away. 


EXTRACTS  FROM  MARMION 

I.  NoRHAM  Castle 

Day  set  on  Norham's  castled  steep, 
And  Tweed's  fair  river,  broad  and  deep, 

And  Cheviot's  mountains  lone : 
The  battled  towers,  the  donjon  keep. 
The  loophole  grates,  where  captives  weep,  5 

The  flanking  walls  that  round  it  sweep. 

In  yellow  lustre  shone. 
The  warriors  on  the  turrets  high, 
Moving  athwart  the  evening  sky, 

Seem'd  forms  of  giant  height :  10 

Their  armour,  as  it  caught  the  rays, 
Flash'd  back  again  the  western  blaze. 

In  lines  of  dazzHng  light. 


NORHAM  CASTLE  19 

Saint  George's  banner,  broad  and  gay, 

Now  faded,  as  the  fading  ray,  15 

Less  bright,  and  less,  was  flung; 
The  evening  gale  had  scarce  the  power 
To  wave  it  on  the  Donjon  Tower, 

So  heavily  it  hung. 
The  scouts  had  parted  on  their  search,  20 

The  Castle  gates  were  barr'd; 
Above  the  gloomy  portal  arch. 
Timing  his  footsteps  to  a  march, 

The  Warder  kept  his  guard  ; 
Low  humming,  as  he  paced  along,  25 

Some  ancient  Border  gathering  song. 


IL  'The  lordly  strand  of  Northumberland' 

And  now  the  vessel  skirts  the  strand 

Of  mountainous  Northumberland ; 

Towns,  towers,  and  halls,  successive  rise. 

And  catch  the  nuns'  delighted  eyes. 

Monk-Wearmouth  soon  behind  them  lay,  5 

And  Tynemouth's  priory  and  bay; 

They  mark'd,  amid  her  trees,  the  hall 

Of  lofty  Seaton-Delaval; 

They  saw  the  Blythe  and  Wansbeck  floods 

Rush  to  the  sea  through  sounding  woods;  10 

They  pass'd  the  tower  of  Widderington, 

Mother  of  many  a  valiant  son; 

2 — 2 


20  MARMION 

At  Coquet-isle  their  beads  they  tell 

To  the  good  Saint  who  own'd  the  cell. 

Then  did  the  Alne  attention  claim,  15 

And  Warkworth,  proud  of  Percy's  name; 

And  next,  they  cross'd  themselves,  to  hear 

The  whitening  breakers  sound  so  near, 

Where,  boiUng  through  the  rocks,  they  roar, 

On  Dunstanborough's  cavern'd  shore;  20 

Thy  tower,  proud  Bamborough,  mark'd  they  there. 

King  Ida's  castle,  huge  and  square. 

From  its  tall  rock  look  grimly  down. 

And  on  the  swelling  ocean  frown ; 

Then  from  the  coast  they  bore  away,  25 

And  reach'd  the  Holy  Island's  bay. 

The  tide  did  now  its  flood-mark  gain, 

And  girdled  in  the  Saint's  domain : 

For,  with  the  flow  and  ebb,  its  style 

Varies  from  continent  to  isle ;  3° 

Dry-shod,  o'er  sands,  twice  every  day, 

The  pilgrims  to  the  shrine  find  way ; 

Twice  every  day,  the  waves  efface 

Of  staves  and  sandall'd  feet  the  trace. 

As  to  the  port  the  galley  flew,  35 

Higher  and  higher  rose  to  view 

The  Castle  with  its  battled  walls, 

The  ancient  Monastery's  halls, 

A  solemn,  huge,  and  dark-red  pile, 

Plac'd  on  the  margin  of  the  isle.  4° 


THE  SAINT  OF  HOLY  ISLAND  21 

III.  The  Saint  of  Holy  Island 

Nor  did  Saint  Cuthbert's  daughters  fail 

To  vie  with  these  in  holy  tale; 

His  body's  resting-place,  of  old. 

How  oft  their  patron  chang'd,  they  told ; 

How,  when  the  rude  Dane  burn'd  their  pile,  5 

The  monks  fled  forth  from  Holy  Isle ; 

O'er  northern  mountain,  marsh,  and  moor, 

From  sea  to  sea,  from  shore  to  shore, 

Seven  years  Saint  Cuthbert's  corpse  they  bore. 

They  rested  them  in  fair  Melrose :  10 

But  though,  alive,  he  lov'd  it  well. 

Not  there  his  relics  might  repose; 
For,  wondrous  tale  to  tell ! 

In  his  stone-coffin  forth  he  rides, 

A  ponderous  bark  for  river  tides,  15 

Yet  hght  as  gossamer  it  glides. 
Downward  to  Tilmouth  cell. 
Nor  long  was  his  abiding  there. 
For  southward  did  the  saint  repair; 
Chester-le-Street,  and  Rippon,  saw  20 

His  holy  corpse,  ere  Wardilaw 

Hail'd  him  with  joy  and  fear; 
And,  after  many  wanderings  past. 
He  chose  his  lordly  seat  at  last. 
Where  his  cathedral,  huge  and  vast,  25 

Looks  down  upon  the  Wear. 
There,  deep  in  Durham's  Gothic  shade. 
His  relics  are  in  secret  laid; 


22  MARMION 

But  none  may  know  the  place, 
Save  of  his  holiest  servants  three,  3° 

Deep  sworn  to  solemn  secrecy, 

Who  share  that  wondrous  grace. 

Who  may  his  miracles  declare ! 

Even  Scotland's  dauntless  king,  and  heir, 

(Although  with  them  they  led  35 

Galwegians,  wild  as  ocean's  gale, 
And  Lodon's  knights,  all  sheath'd  in  mail. 
And  the  bold  men  of  Teviotdale,) 

Before  his  standard  fled. 
Twas  he,  to  vindicate  his  reign,  4° 

Edg'd  Alfred's  falchion  on  the  Dane, 
And  turn'd  the  Conqueror  back  again. 
When,  with  his  Norman  bowyer  band, 
He  came  to  waste  Northumberland. 

But  fain  St  Hilda's  nuns  would  learn  45 

If,  on  a  rock,  by  Lindisfarne, 

Saint  Cuthbert  sits,  and  toils  to  frame 

The  sea-born  beads  that  bear  his  name: 

Such  tales  had  Whitby's  fishers  told, 

And  said  they  might  his  shape  behold,  5° 

And  hear  his  anvil  sound ; 
A  deaden'd  clang,— a  huge  dim  form. 
Seen  but,  and  heard,  when  gathering  storm 

And  night  were  closing  round. 
But  this,  as  tale  of  idle  fame,  55 

The  nuns  of  Lindisfarne  disclaim. 


FITZ-EUSTACE'S  SONG 


23 


IV.  Fitz-Eustace's  Song 

Where  shall  the  lover  rest, 

Whom  the  fates  sever 
From  his  true  maiden's  breast, 

Parted  for  ever? 
Where,  through  groves  deep  and  high,  5 

Sounds  the  far  billow, 
Where  early  violets  die. 

Under  the  willow. 
Chorus.   Eleu  loro,  &c.    Soft  shall  be  his  pillow. 

There,  through  the  summer  day,  10 

Cool  streams  are  laving; 
There,  while  the  tempests  sway. 

Scarce  are  boughs  waving ; 
There,  thy  rest  shalt  thou  take. 

Parted  for  ever,  15 

Never  again  to  wake. 

Never,  0  never! 
Chorus.   Eleu  loro,  &c.    Never,  0  never! 

Where  shall  the  traitor  rest, 

He,  the  deceiver,  20 

Who  could  win  maiden's  breast. 

Ruin,  and  leave  her? 
In  the  lost  battle. 

Borne  down  by  the  flying. 
Where  mingles  war's  rattle  25 

With  groans  of  the  dying. 
Chorus.   Eleu  loro,  &c.    There  shall  he  be  lying. 


24  MARMION 

Her  wing  shall  the  eagle  flap 

O'er  the  false-hearted; 
His  warm  blood  the  wolf  shall  lap,  30 

Ere  life  be  parted. 
Shame  and  dishonour  sit 

By  his  grave  ever  ; 
Blessing  shall  hallow  it 

Never,  O  never !  35 

Chorus.  Eleu  loro,  &c.    Never,  0  never! 


V.  Edinburgh  from  Blackford  Hill 

Still  on  the  spot  Lord  Marmion  stay'd, 
For  fairer  scene  he  ne'er  survey'd. 

When,  sated  with  the  martial  show 

That  peopled  all  the  plain  below, 

The  wandering  eye  could  o'er  it  go,  5 

And  mark  the  distant  city  glow 
With  gloomy  splendour  red; 

For  on  the  smoke-wreaths,  huge  and  slow. 

That  round  her  sable  turrets  flow. 

The  morning  beams  were  shed,  10 

And  ting'd  them  with  a  lustre  proud. 

Like  that  which  streaks  a  thunder-cloud. 
Such  dusky  grandeur  cloth'd  the  height. 
Where  the  huge  Castle  holds  its  state. 

And  all  the  steep  slope  down,  15 

Whose  ridgy  back  heaves  to  the  sky. 


EDINBURGH  FROM  BLACKFORD  HILL  25 

Pil'd  deep  and  massy,  close  and  high, 

Mine  own  romantic  town ! 
But  northward  far,  with  purer  blaze, 
On  Ochil  mountains  fell  the  rays,  20 

And,  as  each  heathy  top  they  kiss'd. 
It  gleam'd  a  purple  amethyst. 
Yonder  the  shores  of  Fife  you  saw; 
Here  Preston-Bay  and  Berwick-Law; 

And,  broad  between  them  roll'd,  25 

The  gallant  Frith  the  eye  might  note. 
Whose  islands  on  its  bosom  float, 

Like  emeralds  chas'd  in  gold. 
Fitz-Eustace'  heart  felt  closely  pent; 
As  if  to  give  his  rapture  vent,  30 

The  spur  he  to  his  charger  lent. 

And  rais'd  his  bridle  hand, 
And,  making  demi-volte  in  air, 
Cried,  '  Where's  the  coward  would  not  dare 

To  fight  for  such  a  land ! '  35 

The  Lindesay  smil'd  his  joy  to  see; 
Nor  Marmion's  frown  repress'd  his  glee. 


VL    LOCHINVAR 

O,  young  Lochinvar  is  come  out  of  the  west. 
Through  all  the  wide  Border  his  steed  was  the  best; 
And,  save  his  good  broadsword,  he  weapons  had  none. 
He  rode  all  unarm'd,  and  he  rode  all  alone. 


26  MARMION 

So  faithful  in  love,  and  so  dauntless  in  war,  5 

There  never  was  knight  hke  the  young  Lochinvar. 

He  staid  not  for  brake,  and  he  stopp'd  not  for  stone. 

He  swam  the  Eske  river  where  ford  there  was  none  ; 

But  ere  he  alighted  at  Netherby  gate, 

The  bride  had  consented,  the  gallant  came  late:  10 

For  a  laggard  in  love,  and  a  dastard  in  war. 

Was  to  wed  the  fair  Ellen  of  brave  Lochinvar. 

So  boldly  he  enter'd  the  Netherby  Hall, 

Among  bride's-men,  and  kinsmen,  and  brothers,  and  all: 

Then  spoke  the  bride's  father,  his  hand  on  his  sword,  15 

(For  the  poor  craven  bridegroom  said  never  a  word,) 

'  O  come  ye  in  peace  here,  or  come  ye  in  war. 

Or  to  dance  at  our  bridal,  young  Lord  Lochinvar? ' 

'I  long  woo'd  your  daughter,  my  suit  you  denied; — 
Love  swells  like  the  Solway,  but  ebbs  like  its  tide —     20 
And  now  am  I  come,  with  this  lost  love  of  mine. 
To  lead  but  one  measure,  drink  one  cup  of  wine. 
There  are  maidens  in  Scotland  more  lovely  by  far, 
That  would  gladly  be  bride  to  the  young  Lochinvar.' 

The  bride  kiss'd  the  goblet :  the  knight  took  it  up,        25 
He  quaff'd  off  the  wine,  and  he  threw  down  the  cup. 
She  look'd  down  to  blush,  and  she  look'd  up  to  sigh. 
With  a  smile  on  her  lips,  and  a  tear  in  her  eye. 
He  took  her  soft  hand,  ere  her  mother  could  bar, — 
'  Now  tread  we  a  measure ! '  said  young  Lochinvar.        30 


LOCHINVAR  27 

So  stately  his  form,  and  so  lovely  her  face, 

That  never  a  hall  such  a  galliard  did  grace ; 

While  her  mother  did  fret,  and  her  father  did  fume, 

And  the  bridegroom  stood  dangling  his  bonnet  and  plume ; 

And  the  bride-maidens  whisper'd,  '  'Twere  better  by  far,  35 

To  have  match'd  our  fair  cousin  with  young  Lochinvar.' 

One  touch  to  her  hand,  and  one  word  in  her  ear, 
When  they  reach'd  the  hall-door,  and  the  charger  stood 

near; 
So  light  to  the  croupe  the  fair  lady  he  swung. 
So  light  to  the  saddle  before  her  he  sprung !  40 

'  She  is  won !  we  are  gone,  over  bank,  bush,  and  scaur ; 
They'll   have   fleet   steeds   that   follow,'    quoth   young 

Lochinvar. 

There  was  mounting  'mong  Graemes  of  the  Netherby  clan ; 
Forsters,  Fenwicks,  and  Musgraves,  they  rode  and  they 

ran: 
There  was  racing  and  chasing  on  Cannobie  Lee,  45 

But  the  lost  bride  of  Netherby  ne'er  did  they  see. 
So  daring  in  love,  and  so  dauntless  in  war. 
Have  ye  e'er  heard  of  gallant  like  young  Lochinvar? ' 

VIL  Douglas  and  Marmion 

Not  far  ad  vane' d  was  morning  day, 
When  Marmion  did  his  troop  array 

To  Surrey's  camp  to  ride; 
He  had  safe  conduct  for  his  band, 


28  MARMION 

Beneath  the  royal  seal  and  hand,  5 

And  Douglas  gave  a  guide : 
The  ancient  Earl,  with  stately  grace, 
Would  Clara  on  her  palfrey  place. 
And  whisper'd  in  an  under  tone, 
'Let  the  hawk  stoop,  his  prey  is  flown.' —  10 

The  train  from  out  the  castle  drew. 
But  Marmion  stopp'd  to  bid  adieu : — 

'  Though  something  I  might  'plain,'  he  said, 
'  Of  cold  respect  to  stranger  guest. 
Sent  hither  by  your  King's  behest,  15 

While  in  Tantallon's  towers  I  staid; 
Part  we  in  friendship  from  your  land, 
And,  noble  Earl,  receive  my  hand.' 
But  Douglas  round  him  drew  his  cloak. 
Folded  his  arms,  and  thus  he  spoke : —  20 

'  My  manors,  halls,  and  bowers,  shall  still 
Be  open,  at  my  Sovereign's  will, 
To  each  one  whom  he  lists,  howe'er 
Unmeet  to  be  the  owner's  peer. 
My  castles  are  my  King's  alone,  25 

From  turret  to  foundation-stone — 
The  hand  of  Douglas  is  his  own ; 
And  never  shall  in  friendly  grasp 
The  hand  of  such  as  Marmion  clasp.' 

Burn'd  Marmion's  swarthy  cheek  like  fire,  30 

And  shook  his  very  frame  for  ire. 
And  '  This  to  me ! '  he  said, — 


DOUGLAS  AND  MARMION  29 

'  An  'twere  not  for  thy  hoary  beard, 
Such  hand  as  Marmion's  had  not  spar'd 

To  cleave  the  Douglas'  head !  35 

And,  first,  I  tell  thee,  haughty  Peer, 
He,  who  does  England's  message  here, 
Although  the  meanest  in  her  state. 
May  well,  proud  Angus,  be  thy  mate : 
And,  Douglas,  more  I  tell  thee  here,  4° 

Even  in  thy  pitch  of  pride. 
Here  in  thy  hold,  thy  vassals  near — 
(Nay,  never  look  upon  your  lord. 
And  lay  your  hands  upon  your  sword) — 

I  tell  thee,  thou'rt  defied !  45 

And,  if  thou  said'st  I  am  not  peer 
To  any  lord  in  Scotland  here, 
Lowland  or  Highland,  far  or  near, 

Lord  Angus,  thou  hast  lied ! ' 
On  the  Earl's  cheek  the  flush  of  rage  5° 

O'ercame  the  ashen  hue  of  age: 
Fierce  he  broke  forth,  'And  dar'st  thou  then 
To  beard  the  lion  in  his  den. 

The  Douglas  in  his  hall? 
And  hop'st  thou  hence  unscath"d  to  go? —  55 

No,  by  Saint  Bride  of  Bothwell,  no ! 
Up  drawbridge,  grooms — what,  warder,  ho! 

Let  the  portcullis  fall.' 
Lord  Marmion  tum'd, — well  was  his  need, — 
And  dash'd  the  rowels  in  his  steed,  60 

Like  arrow  through  the  archway  sprung. 


30  MARMION 

The  ponderous  grate  behind  him  rung : 
To  pass  there  was  such  scanty  room, 
The  bars,  descending,  raz'd  his  plume. 

The  steed  along  the  drawbridge  flies,  65 

Just  as  it  trembled  on  the  rise; 

Nor  lighter  does  the  swallow  skim 

Along  the  smooth  lake's  level  brim : 

And,  when  Lord  Marmion  reach'd  his  band. 

He  halts,  and  turns  with  clenched  hand,  70 

And  shout  of  loud  defiance  pours. 

And  shook  his  gauntlet  at  the  towers. 

'  Horse !  horse ! '  the  Douglas  cried,  '  and  chase ! ' 

But  soon  he  rein'd  his  fury's  pace : 

'  A  royal  messenger  he  came,  75 

Though  most  unworthy  of  the  name. — 

A  letter  forg'd !   Saint  Jude  to  speed ! 

Did  ever  knight  so  foul  a  deed ! 

At  first  in  heart  it  lik'd  me  ill, 

When  the  King  prais'd  his  clerkly  skill.  80 

Thanks  to  Saint  Bothan,  son  of  mine. 

Save  Gawain,  ne'er  could  pen  a  line: 

So  swore  I,  and  I  swear  it  still. 

Let  my  boy-bishop  fret  his  fill. — 

Saint  Mary  mend  my  fiery  mood !  85 

Old  age  ne'er  cools  the  Douglas  blood, 

I  thought  to  slay  him  where  he  stood. 

'Tis  pity  of  him  too,'  he  cried: 

'  Bold  can  he  speak,  and  fairly  ride, 


DOUGLAS  AND  MARMION  31 

I  warrant  him  a  warrior  tried.'  90 

With  this  his  mandate  he  recalls, 
And  slowly  seeks  his  castle  halls. 

VIII.  The  English  advance  at  Flodden 
Even  so  it  was.  From  Flodden  ridge 

The  Scots  beheld  the  English  host 

Leave  Barmore-wood,  their  evening  post, 

And  heedful  watch'd  them  as  they  cross'd 
The  Till  by  Twisel  Bridge.  5 

High  sight  it  is,  and  haughty,  while 

They  dive  into  the  deep  defile; 

Beneath  the  cavem'd  cHff  they  faU, 

Beneath  the  castle's  airy  wall; 
By  rock,  by  oak,  by  hawthorn-tree,  10 

Troop  after  troop  are  disappearing; 

Troop  after  troop  their  banners  rearing. 
Upon  the  eastern  bank  you  see. 
Still  pouring  down  the  rocky  den, 

Where  flows  the  sullen  Till,  15 

And,  rising  from  the  dim-wood  glen. 
Standards  on  standards,  men  on  men. 

In  slow  succession  still. 
And,  sweeping  o'er  the  Gothic  arch. 
And  pressing  on,  in  ceaseless  march,  20 

To  gain  the  opposing  hill. 
That  morn,  to  many  a  trumpet  clang, 
Twisel!  thy  rock's  deep  echo  rang; 
And  many  a  chief  of  birth  and  rank. 


32  MARMION 

Saint  Helen !  at  thy  fountain  drank.  25 

Thy  hawthorn  glade,  which  now  we  see 
In  spring-tide  bloom  so  lavishly, 
Had  then  from  many  an  axe  its  doom, 
To  give  the  marching  columns  room. 

And  why  stands  Scotland  idly  now,  3° 

Dark  Flodden !  on  thy  airy  brow, 

Since  England  gains  the  pass  the  while, 

And  struggles  through  the  deep  defile? 

What  checks  the  fiery  soul  of  James? 

Why  sits  that  champion  of  the  dames  35 

Inactive  on  his  steed. 
And  sees,  between  him  and  his  land, 
Between  him  and  Tweed's  southern  strand, 

His  host  Lord  Surrey  lead? 
What  'vails  the  vain  knight-errant's  brand?  40 

— O,  Douglas,  for  thy  leading  wand ! 

Fierce  Randolph,  for  thy  speed ! 
O  for  one  hour  of  Wallace  wight. 
Or  well-skill'd  Bruce,  to  rule  the  fight. 
And  cry  '  Saint  Andrew  and  our  right ! '  45 

Another  sight  had  seen  that  morn, 
From  Fate's  dark  book  a  leaf  been  torn. 
And  Flodden  had  been  Bannockbourne ! 
The  precious  hour  has  pass'd  in  vain. 
And  England's  host  has  gain'd  the  plain;  50 

Wheehng  their  march,  and  circling  still. 
Around  the  base  of  Flodden  hill. 


THE  DEATH  OF  MARMION  33 

IX.  The  Death  of  Marmion 

When,  doff' d  his  casque,  he  felt  free  air. 

Around  'gan  Marmion  wildly  stare : — 

'Where's  Harry  Blount?   Fitz-Eustace  where? 

Linger  ye  here,  ye  hearts  of  hare ! 

Redeem  my  pennon, — charge  again !  5 

Cry  "Marmion  to  the  rescue !  " — Vain ! 

Last  of  my  race,  on  battle-plain 

That  shout  shall  ne'er  be  heard  again ! — 

Yet  my  last  thought  is  England's — fly. 
To  Dacre  bear  my  signet-ring:  10 

Tell  him  his  squadrons  up  to  bring — 

Fitz-Eustace,  to  Lord  Surrey  hie; 
Tunstall  lies  dead  upon  the  field. 
His  life-blood  stains  the  spotless  shield : 
Edmund  is  down : — my  life  is  reft;  15 

The  Admiral  alone  is  left. 
Let  Stanley  charge  with  spur  of  fire, — 
With  Chester  charge,  and  Lancashire, 
Full  upon  Scotland's  central  host. 
Or  victory  and  England's  lost. —  20 

Must  I  bid  twice? — hence,  varlets!  fly! 
Leave  Marmion  here  alone — to  die.' 
They  parted,  and  alone  he  lay; 
Clare  drew  her  from  the  sight  away. 
Till  pain  wrung  forth  a  lowly  moan,  25 

And  half  he  murmur'd, — '  Is  there  none. 

Of  all  my  halls  have  nurst, 
T.  s.  3 


34  MARMION 

Page,  squire,  or  groom,  one  cup  to  bring 
Of  blessed  water  from  the  spring, 

To  slake  my  dying  thirst ! '  30 

O  Woman !  in  our  hours  of  ease 

Uncertain,  coy,  and  hard  to  please, 

And  variable  as  the  shade 

By  the  light  quivering  aspen  made; 

When  pain  and  anguish  wring  the  brow,  35 

A  ministering  angel  thou ! — 

Scarce  were  the  piteous  accents  said. 

When,  with  the  Baron's  casque,  the  maid 

To  the  nigh  streamlet  ran : 
Forgot  were  hatred,  wrongs,  and  fears;  40 

The  plaintive  voice  alone  she  hears. 

Sees  but  the  dying  man. 
She  stoop'd  her  by  the  runnel's  side. 

But  in  abhorrence  backward  drew; 
For,  oozing  from  the  mountain's  side,  45 

Where  rag'd  the  war,  a  dark-red  tide 

Was  curdling  in  the  streamlet  blue. 
Where  shall  she  turn ! — behold  her  mark 

A  little  fountain  cell. 
Where  water,  clear  as  diamond-spark,  50 

In  a  stone  basin  feU. 
Above,  some  half-worn  letters  say, 

Brink .  toearp .  pilsrim .  brinfe .  anb .  prap . 
Jf  or .  tije .  feinb .  goiil .  of .  ^ptiil .  #rep . 
OTfjo .  huilt .  tfjis; .  crojisi .  anb ,  toell .         55 


THE  DEATH  OF  MARMION  35 

She  fill'd  the  helm,  and  back  she  hied, 
And  with  surprise  and  joy  espied 

A  monk  supporting  Marmion's  head ; 
A  pious  man,  whom  duty  brought 
To  dubious  verge  of  battle  fought,  60 

To  shrieve  the  dying,  bless  the  dead. 

Deep  drank  Lord  Marmion  of  the  wave. 

And,  as  she  stoop'd  his  brow  to  lave — 

'  Is  it  the  hand  of  Clare,'  he  said, 

'  Or  injur'd  Constance,  bathes  my  head? '  65 

Then,  as  remembrance  rose, — 
'  Speak  not  to  me  of  shrift  or  prayer ! 

I  must  redress  her  woes. 
Short  space,  few  words,  are  mine  to  spare : 
Forgive  and  listen,  gentle  Clare ! ' —  70 

'  Alas ! '  she  said,  '  the  while, — 
O,  think  of  your  immortal  weal ! 
In  vain  for  Constance  is  your  zeal ; 

She — died  at  Holy  Isle.' 
Lord  Marmion  started  from  the  ground,  75 

As  light  as  if  he  felt  no  wound; 
Though  in  the  action  burst  the  tide. 
In  torrents,  from  his  wounded  side. 
'  Then  it  was  truth,' — he  said — '  I  knew 
That  the  dark  presage  must  be  true.  80 

I  would  the  Fiend,  to  whom  belongs 
The  vengeance  due  to  all  her  wrongs. 

Would  spare  me  but  a  day ! 


36  MARMION 

For  wasting  fire,  and  dying  groan. 

And  priests  slain  on  the  altar  stone,  85 

Might  bribe  him  for  delay. 
It  may  not  be ! — this  dizzy  trance — 
Curse  on  yon  base  marauder's  lance. 
And  doubly  curs' d  my  faihng  brand ! 
A  sinful  heart  makes  feeble  hand.'  90 

Then,  fainting,  down  on  earth  he  sunk. 
Supported  by  the  trembling  Monk. 

With  fruitless  labour,  Clara  bound. 

And  strove  to  stanch  the  gushing  wound : 

The  Monk,  with  unavailing  cares,  95 

Exhausted  all  the  Church's  prayers. 

Ever,  he  said,  that,  close  and  near, 

A  lady's  voice  was  in  his  ear, 

And  that  the  priest  he  could  not  hear; 

For  that  she  ever  sung,  100 

'  In  the  lost  battle,  home  down  by  the  flying, 
Where  mingles  war's  rattle  with  groans  of  the  dying!' 

So  the  notes  rung; — 
'  Avoid  thee.  Fiend ! — with  cruel  hand. 
Shake  not  the  dying  sinner's  sand!  105 

O,  look,  my  son,  upon  yon  sign 
Of  the  Redeemer's  grace  divine; 

O,  think  on  faith  and  bUss ! — 
By  many  a  death-bed  I  have  been. 
And  many  a  sinner's  parting  seen,  no 

But  never  aught  like  this.' 


THE  DEATH  OF  MARMION  37 

The  war,  that  for  a  space  did  fail, 
Now  trebly  thundering  swell' d  the  gale, 

And — Stanley  !  was  the  cry; 
A  light  on  Marmion's  visage  spread,  115 

And  fir'd  his  glazing  eye: 
With  dying  hand,  above  his  head. 
He  shook  the  fragment  of  his  blade. 

And  shouted  '  Victory ! 
Charge,  Chester,  charge !   On,  Stanley,  on ! '  120 

Were  the  last  words  of  Marmion. 

EXTRACTS  FROM 
THE  LADY  OF  THE  LAKE 

I.  Invocation 

Harp  of  the  North !  that  mouldering  long  hast  hung 

On  the  witch-elm  that  shades  Saint  Fillan's  spring, 
And  down  the  fitful  breeze  thy  numbers  flung. 

Till  envious  ivy  did  around  thee  cling. 
Muffling  with  verdant  ringlet  every  string, —  5 

O  minstrel  Harp,  still  must  thine  accents  sleep? 
Mid  rusthng  leaves  and  fountains  murmuring. 

Still  must  thy  sweeter  sounds  their  accent  keep, 
Nor  bid  a  warrior  smile,  nor  teach  a  maid  to  weep? 

Not  thus,  in  ancient  days  of  Caledon,  10 

Was  thy  voice  mute  amid  the  festal  crowd, 

When  lay  of  hopeless  love,  or  glory  won, 
Arous'd  the  fearful,  or  subdued  the  proud. 


38  THE  LADY  OF  THE  LAKE 

At  each  according  pause  was  heard  aloud 

Thine  ardent  symphony  subhme  and  high !  15 

Fair  dames  and  crested  chiefs  attention  bow'd; 

For  still  the  burden  of  thy  minstrelsy 
Was  Knighthood's  dauntless  deed,  and  Beauty's  match- 
less eye. 

O  wake  once  more !  how  rude  soe'er  the  hand 

That  ventures  o'er  thy  magic  maze  to  stray ;  20 

O  wake  once  more !  though  scarce  my  skill  command 

Some  feeble  echoing  of  thine  earlier  lay : 
Though  harsh  and  faint,  and  soon  to  die  away. 

And  all  unworthy  of  thy  nobler  strain, 
Yet  if  one  heart  throb  higher  at  its  sway,  25 

The  wizard  note  has  not  been  touch'd  in  vain. 
Then  silent  be  no  more !  Enchantress,  wake  again ! 


II.  The  Trossachs 

The  western  waves  of  ebbing  day 

Roll'd  o'er  the  glen  their  level  way; 

Each  purple  peak,  each  flinty  spire, 

Was  bath'd  in  floods  of  Hving  fire. 

But  not  a  setting  beam  could  glow  5 

Within  the  dark  ravines  below, 

Where  twin'd  the  path  in  shadow  hid. 

Round  many  a  rocky  pyramid, 

Shooting  abruptly  from  the  dell 

Its  thunder-spHnter'd  pinnacle;  10 


THE  TROSSACHS  39 

Round  many  an  insulated  mass, 

The  native  bulwarks  of  the  pass, 

Huge  as  the  tower  which  builders  vain 

Presumptuous  pil'd  on  Shinar's  plain. 

The  rocky  summits,  split  and  rent,  15 

Form'd  turret,  dome,  or  battlement, 

Or  seem'd  fantastically  set 

With  cupola  or  minaret. 

Wild  crests  as  pagod  ever  deck'd. 

Or  mosque  of  Eastern  architect.  20 

Nor  were  these  earth-born  castles  bare. 

Nor  lack'd  they  many  a  banner  fair; 

For,  from  their  shiver'd  brows  display'd. 

Far  o'er  the  unfathomable  glade. 

All  twinkling  with  the  dewdrop  sheen,  25 

The  brier-rose  fell  in  streamers  green. 

And  creeping  shrubs,  of  thousand  dyes, 

Wav'd  in  the  west-wind's  summer  sighs. 

Boon  nature  scatter'd,  free  and  wild. 

Each  plant  or  flower,  the  mountain's  child.         30 

Here  eglantine  embalm'd  the  air. 

Hawthorn  and  hazel  mingled  there; 

The  primrose  pale,  and  violet  flower, 

Found  in  each  cliff  a  narrow  bower; 

Fox-glove  and  night-shade,  side  by  side,  35 

Emblems  of  punishment  and  pride, 

Group'd  their  dark  hues  with  every  stain 

The  weather-beaten  crags  retain. 


40  THE  LADY  OF  THE  LAKE 

With  boughs  that  quak'd  at  every  breath, 

Grey  birch  and  aspen  wept  beneath ;  40 

Aloft,  the  ash  and  warrior  oak 

Cast  anchor  in  the  rifted  rock  : 

And,  higher  yet,  the  pine-tree  hung 

His  shatter'd  trunk,  and  frequent  flung. 

Where  seem'd  the  cliffs  to  meet  on  high,  45 

His  boughs  athwart  the  narrow'd  sky. 

Highest  of  all,  where  white  peaks  glanc'd, 

Where  glist'ning  streamers  wav'd  and  danc'd. 

The  wanderer's  eye  could  barely  view 

The  summer  heaven's  delicious  blue;  50 

So  wondrous  wild,  the  whole  might  seem 

The  scenery  of  a  fairy  dream. 

Onward,  amid  the  copse  'gan  peep 

A  narrow  inlet,  still  and  deep. 

Affording  scarce  such  breadth  of  brim  55 

As  serv'd  the  wild-duck's  brood  to  swim. 

Lost  for  a  space,  through  thickets  veering, 

But  broader  when  again  appearing. 

Tall  rocks  and  tufted  knolls  their  face 

Could  on  the  dark -blue  mirror  trace;  60 

And  farther  as  the  hunter  stray'd. 

Still  broader  sweep  its  channels  made. 

The  shaggy  mounds  no  longer  stood. 

Emerging  from  entangled  wood, 

But,  wave-encircled,  seem'd  to  float,  65 

Like  castle  girdled  with  its  moat ; 


THE  TROSSACHS  4^ 

Yet  broader  floods  extending  still 

Divide  them  from  their  parent  hill, 

Till  each,  retiring,  claims  to  be 

An  islet  in  an  inland  sea.  70 

And  now,  to  issue  from  the  glen. 

No  pathway  meets  the  wanderer's  ken, 

Unless  he  climb,  with  footing  nice, 

A  far  projecting  precipice. 

The  broom's  tough  roots  his  ladder  made,  75 

The  hazel  saplings  lent  their  aid  ; 

And  thus  an  airy  point  he  won. 

Where,  gleaming  with  the  setting  sun, 

One  burnish'd  sheet  of  Hving  gold. 

Loch  Katrine  lay  beneath  him  roU'd ;  80 

In  all  her  length  far  winding  lay. 

With  promontory,  creek,  and  bay. 

And  islands  that,  empurpled  bright. 

Floated  amid  the  livelier  light. 

And  mountains,  that  Uke  giants  stand,  85 

To  sentinel  enchanted  land. 

High  on  the  south,  huge  Benvenue 

Down  to  the  lake  in  masses  threw 

Crags,  knolls,  and  moimds,  confusedly  hurl'd. 

The  fragments  of  an  earlier  world ;  9° 

A  wildering  forest  feather' d  o'er 

His  ruin'd  sides  and  summit  hoar. 

While  on  the  north,  through  middle  air, 

Ben-an  heav'd  high  his  forehead  bare. 


42  THE  LADY  OF  THE  LAKE 

III.  Ellen's  Song 

'  Soldier,  rest !  thy  warfare  o'er. 

Sleep  the  sleep  that  knows  not  breaking: 
Dream  of  battled  fields  no  more. 

Days  of  danger,  nights  of  waking. 
In  our  isle's  enchanted  hall,  5 

Hands  unseen  thy  couch  are  strewing. 
Fairy  strains  of  music  fall, 

Every  sense  in  slumber  dewing. 
Soldier,  rest !  thy  warfare  o'er, 
Dream  of  fighting  fields  no  more :  lo 

Sleep  the  sleep  that  knows  not  breaking. 
Mom  of  toil,  nor  night  of  waking. 

No  rude  sound  shall  reach  thine  ear. 

Armour's  clang,  or  war-steed  champing, 
Trump  nor  pibroch  summon  here  15 

Mustering  clan,  or  squadron  tramping. 
Yet  the  lark's  shrill  fife  may  come 

At  the  day-break  from  the  fallow. 
And  the  bittern  sound  his  drum. 

Booming  from  the  sedgy  shallow.  20 

Ruder  sounds  shall  none  be  near. 
Guards  nor  warders  challenge  here. 
Here's  no  war-steed's  neigh  or  champing. 
Shouting  clans,  or  squadrons  stamping.' 

She  paus'd — then,  blushing,  led  the  lay  25 

To  grace  the  stranger  of  the  day. 


ELLEN'S  SONG  43 

Her  mellow  notes  awhile  prolong 

The  cadence  of  the  flowing  song, 

Till  to  her  lips  in  measur'd  frame 

The  minstrel  verse  spontaneous  came: —  30 

'  Huntsman,  rest !  thy  chase  is  done. 

While  our  slumbrous  spells  assail  ye. 
Dream  not,  with  the  rising  sun. 

Bugles  here  shall  sound  reveille. 
Sleep !  the  deer  is  in  his  den ;  35 

Sleep !  thy  hounds  are  by  thee  lying; 
Sleep !  nor  dream  in  yonder  glen. 

How  thy  gallant  steed  lay  dying. 
Huntsman,  rest !  thy  chase  is  done. 
Think  not  of  the  rising  sun,  40 

For  at  dawning  to  assail  ye, 
Here  no  bugles  sound  reveille.' 

IV.  Boat  Song 

Hail  to  the  Chief  who  in  triumph  advances ! 

Honour'd  and  bless'd  be  the  ever-green  Pine ! 
Long  may  the  tree,  in  his  banner  that  glances. 
Flourish,  the  shelter  and  grace  of  our  line ! 

Heaven  send  it  happy  dew,  5 

Earth  lend  it  sap  anew, 
Gayly  to  bourgeon,  and  broadly  to  grow. 

While  every  Highland  glen 

Sends  our  shout  back  agen, 
'  Roderigh  Vich  Alpine  dhu,  ho !  ieroe ! '  10 


44  THE  LADY  OF  THE  LAKE 

Ours  is  no  sapling,  chance-sown  by  the  fountain, 

Blooming  at  Beltane,  in  winter  to  fade ; 
When  the  whirlwind  has  stripp'd  every  leaf  on  the 
mountain, 
The  more  shall  Clan-Alpine  exult  in  her  shade. 

Moor'd  in  the  rifted  rock,  15 

Proof  to  the  tempest's  shock. 
Firmer  he  roots  him  the  ruder  it  blow ; 
Menteith  and  Breadalbane,  then, 
Echo  his  praise  agen, 
'  Roderigh  Vich  Alpine  dhu,  ho !  ieroe ! '  20 

Proudly  our  pibroch  has  thrill'd  in  Glen  Fruin, 

And  Bannochar's  groans  to  our  slogan  replied  ; 
Glen-Luss  and  Ross-dhu,  they  are  smoking  in  ruin. 
And  the  best  of  Loch  Lomond  lie  dead  on  her  side. 

Widow  and  Saxon  maid  25 

Long  shall  lament  our  raid. 
Think  of  Clan- Alpine  with  fear  and  with  woe; 

Lennox  and  Leven-glen 

Shake  when  they  hear  agen, 
'  Roderigh  Vich  Alpine  dhu,  ho !  ieroe ! '  30 

Row,  vassals,  row,  for  the  pride  of  the  Highlands ! 

Stretch  to  your  oars,  for  the  ever-green  Pine ! 
O !  that  the  rose-bud  that  graces  yon  islands. 

Were  wreath'd  in  a  garland  around  him  to  twine ! 
O  that  some  seedling  gem,  35 

Worthy  such  noble  stem. 


BOAT  SONG  45 

Honour'd  and  bless'd  in  their  shadow  might  grow ! 

Loud  should  Clan-Alpine  then 

Ring  from  her  deepmost  glen, 
'  Roderigh  Vich  Alpine  dhu !  ho !  ieroe ! '  40 

V.  The  Fiery  Cross 

Speed,  Malise,  speed !  the  lake  is  past, 

Duncraggan's  huts  appear  at  last, 

And  peep,  like  moss-grown  rocks,  half  seen. 

Half  hidden  in  the  copse  so  green ; 

There  mayest  thou  rest,  thy  labour  done,  5 

Their  Lord  shall  speed  the  signal  on. — 

As  stoops  the  hawk  upon  his  prey. 

The  henchman  shot  him  down  the  way. 

— What  woeful  accents  load  the  gale? 

The  funeral  yell,  the  female  wail !  10 

A  gallant  hunter's  sport  is  o'er, 

A  valiant  warrior  fights  no  more. 

Who,  in  the  battle  or  the  chase. 

At  Roderick's  side  shall  fill  his  place ! — 

Within  the  hall,  where  torches'  ray  15 

Supplies  the  excluded  beams  of  day, 

Lies  Duncan  on  his  lowly  bier. 

And  o'er  him  streams  his  widow's  tear. 

His  stripling  son  stands  mournful  by, 

His  youngest  weeps,  but  knows  not  why ;  20 

The  village  maids  and  matrons  round 

The  dismal  coronach  resound. 


46  THE  LADY  OF  THE  LAKE 

Coronach 

He  is  gone  on  the  mountain. 

He  is  lost  to  the  forest, 
Like  a  summer-dried  fountain,  25 

When  our  need  was  the  sorest. 
The  font,  reappearing, 

From  the  rain-drops  shall  borrow. 
But  to  us  comes  no  cheering, 

To  Duncan  no  morrow !  30 

The  hand  of  the  reaper 

Takes  the  ears  that  are  hoary. 
But  the  voice  of  the  weeper 

Wails  manhood  in  glory. 
The  autumn  winds  rushing  35 

Waft  the  leaves  that  are  searest, 
But  our  flower  was  in  flushing, 

When  blighting  was  nearest. 

Fleet  foot  on  the  correi, 

Sage  counsel  in  cumber,  40 

Red  hand  in  the  foray, 

How  sound  is  thy  slumber ! 
Like  the  dew  on  the  mountain. 

Like  the  foam  on  the  river, 
Like  the  bubble  on  the  fountain,  45 

Thou  art  gone,  and  for  ever ! 

See  Stumah,  who,  the  bier  beside, 
His  master's  corpse  with  wonder  eyed, 


THE  FIERY  CROSS  47 

Poor  Stumah !  whom  his  least  halloo 

Could  send  like  lightning  o'er  the  dew,  50 

Bristles  his  crest,  and  points  his  ears. 

As  if  some  stranger  step  he  hears. 

'Tis  not  a  mourner's  muffled  tread 

Who  comes  to  sorrow  o'er  the  dead, 

But  headlong  haste,  or  deadly  fear,  55 

Urge  the  precipitate  career. 

All  stand  aghast : — unheeding  all, 

The  henchman  bursts  into  the  hall ; 

Before  the  dead  man's  bier  he  stood ; 

Held  forth  the  Cross  besmear'd  with  blood;  60 

'The  muster-place  is  Lanrick  mead; 

Speed  forth  the  signal !  clansmen,  speed ! ' 

Angus,  the  heir  of  Duncan's  line. 

Sprung  forth  and  seiz'd  the  fatal  sign. 

In  haste  the  stripling  to  his  side  65 

His  father's  dirk  and  broadsword  tied ; 

But  when  he  saw  his  mother's  eye 

Watch  him  in  speechless  agony. 

Back  to  her  open'd  arms  he  flew, 

Press'd  on  her  lips  a  fond  adieu —  70 

'  Alas ! '  she  sobb'd, — '  and  yet,  be  gone. 

And  speed  thee  forth,  like  Duncan's  son ! ' 

One  look  he  cast  upon  the  bier, 

Dash'd  from  his  eye  the  gathering  tear, 

Breath'd  deep  to  clear  his  labouring  breast,  75 

And  toss'd  aloft  his  bonnet  crest. 


48  THE  LADY  OF  THE  LAKE 

Then,  like  the  high-bred  colt,  when,  freed, 

First  he  essays  his  fire  and  speed. 

He  vanish'd,  and  o'er  moor  and  moss 

Sped  forward  with  the  Fiery  Cross.  80 


VI.  The  Ambuscade 

'  Have,  then,  thy  wish ! '  He  whistled  shrill. 

And  he  was  answer'd  from  the  hill ; 

Wild  as  the  scream  of  the  curlew. 

From  crag  to  crag  the  signal  flew. 

Instant,  through  copse  and  heath,  arose  5 

Bonnets  and  spears  and  bended  bows; 

On  right,  on  left,  above,  below. 

Sprung  up  at  once  the  lurking  foe; 

From  shingles  grey  their  lances  start. 

The  bracken  bush  sends  forth  the  dart,  10 

The  rushes  and  the  willow-wand 

Are  bristling  into  axe  and  brand. 

And  every  tuft  of  broom  gives  hfe 

To  plaided  warrior  arm'd  for  strife. 

That  whistle  garrison'd  the  glen  15 

At  once  with  full  five  hundred  men. 

As  if  the  yawning  hill  to  heaven 

A  subterranean  host  had  given. 

Watching  their  leader's  beck  and  will. 

All  silent  there  they  stood,  and  still.  20 

Like  the  loose  crags,  whose  threatening  mass 

Lay  tottering  o'er  the  hollow  pass. 


THE  AMBUSCADE  49 

As  if  an  infant's  touch  could  urge 

Their  headlong  passage  down  the  verge. 

With  step  and  weapon  forward  flung,  25 

Upon  the  mountain-side  they  hung. 

The  Mountaineer  cast  glance  of  pride 

Along  Benledi's  living  side, 

Then  fix'd  his  eye  and  sable  brow 

Full  on  Fitz-James— '  How  say'st  thou  now?        30 

These  are  Clan-Alpine's  warriors  true; 

And,  Saxon, — I  am  Roderick  Dhu ! ' 

Fitz-James  was  brave : — Though  to  his  heart 

The  hfe-blood  thrill' d  with  sudden  start, 

He  mann'd  himself  with  dauntless  air,  35 

Return' d  the  Chief  his  haughty  stare, 

His  back  against  a  rock  he  bore. 

And  firmly  plac'd  his  foot  before: — 

'  Come  one,  come  all !  this  rock  shall  fly 

From  its  firm  base  as  soon  as  I.'  4° 

Sir  Roderick  mark'd,  and  in  his  eyes 

Respect  was  mingled  with  surprise. 

And  the  stern  joy  which  warriors  feel 

In  foemen  worthy  of  their  steel. 

Short  space  he  stood — then  wav'd  his  hand;         45 

Down  sunk  the  disappearing  band; 

Each  warrior  vanish'd  where  he  stood. 

In  broom  or  bracken,  heath  or  wood; 

Sunk  brand  and  spear  and  bended  bow, 

In  osiers  pale  and  copses  low ;  5° 


T.  S. 


50  THE  LADY  OF  THE  LAKE 

It  seem'd  as  if  their  mother  Earth 

Had  swallow'd  up  her  warhke  birth. 

The  wind's  last  breath  had  toss'd  in  air 

Pennon,  and  plaid,  and  plumage  fair, — 

The  next  but  swept  a  lone  hill-side,  55 

Where  heath  and  fern  were  waving  wide  : 

The  sun's  last  glance  was  glinted  back, 

From  spear  and  glaive,  from  targe  and  jack, — 

The  next,  all  unreflected,  shone 

On  bracken  green,  and  cold  grey  stone.  60 

VII.  The  Ride  to  Stirling 

'  Stand,  Bayard,  stand ! ' — The  steed  obey'd. 

With  arching  neck  and  bended  head, 

And  glancing  eye  and  quivering  ear. 

As  if  he  lov'd  his  lord  to  hear. 

No  foot  Fitz- James  in  stirrup  staid,  5 

No  grasp  upon  the  saddle  laid. 

But  wreath'd  his  left  hand  in  the  mane. 

And  lightly  bounded  from  the  plain, 

Turn'd  on  the  horse  his  armed  heel. 

And  stirr'd  his  courage  with  the  steel,  10 

Bounded  the  fiery  steed  in  air, 

The  rider  sate  erect  and  fair. 

Then  like  a  bolt  from  steel  crossbow 

Forth  launch'd,  along  the  plain  they  go. 

They  dash'd  that  rapid  torrent  through,  15 

And  up  Carhonie's  hill  they  flew; 


THE  RIDE  TO  STIRLING  5^ 

Still  at  the  gallop  prick'd  the  Knight, 

His  merry-men  follow'd  as  they  might. 

Along  thy  banks,  swift  Teith !  they  ride. 

And  in  the  race  they  mock  thy  tide;  20 

Torry  and  Lendrick  now  are  past, 

And  Deanstown  Hes  behind  them  cast ; 

They  rise,  the  banner'd  towers  of  Doune, 

They  sink  in  distant  woodland  soon; 

Blair-Drummond  sees  the  hoofs  strike  fire,  25 

They  sweep  Hke  breeze  through  Ochtertyre; 

They  mark  just  glance  and  disappear 

The  lofty  brow  of  ancient  Kier; 

They  bathe  their  coursers'  sweltering  sides, 

Dark  Forth !  amid  thy  sluggish  tides,  3° 

And  on  the  opposing  shore  take  ground, 

With  plash,  with  scramble,  and  with  bound. 

Right-hand  they  leave  thy  cHffs,  Craig-Forth ! 

And  soon  the  bulwark  of  the  North, 

Grey  Stirhng,  with  her  towers  and  town,  35 

Upon  their  fleet  career  look'd  down. 

VIII.  Allan-Bane's  Lament 

And  art  thou  cold  and  lowly  laid. 

Thy  foeman's  dread,  thy  people's  aid, 

Breadalbane's  boast,  Clan-Alpine's  shade ! 

For  thee  shall  none  a  requiem  say? 

For  thee,  who  lov'd  the  minstrel's  lay,  5 

For  thee,  of  Bothwell's  house  the  stay. 


52  THE  LADY  OF  THE  LAKE 

The  shelter  of  her  exil'd  Hne, 
E'en  in  this  prison-house  of  thine, 
I'll  wail  for  Alpine's  honour'd  Pine ! 

What  groans  shall  yonder  valleys  fill !  lo 

What  shrieks  of  grief  shall  rend  yon  hill ! 

What  tears  of  burning  rage  shall  thrill, 

When  mourns  thy  tribe  thy  battles  done, 

Thy  fall  before  the  race  was  won. 

Thy  sword  ungirt  ere  set  of  sun !  15 

There  breathes  not  clansman  of  thy  line. 

But  would  have  given  his  life  for  thine, 

O  woe  for  Alpine's  honour'd  Pine ! 

Sad  was  thy  lot  on  mortal  stage ! — 

The  captive  thrush  may  brook  the  cage,  20 

The  prison 'd  eagle  dies  for  rage. 

Brave  spirit,  do  not  scorn  my  strain ! 

And,  when  its  notes  awake  again, 

Even  she,  so  long  belov'd  in  vain. 

Shall  with  my  harp  her  voice  combine,  25 

And  mix  her  woe  and  tears  with  mine. 

To  wail  Clan-Alpine's  honour'd  Pine. 

IX.  Lay  of  the  Imprisoned  Huntsman 

My  hawk  is  tir'd  of  perch  and  hood, 
My  idle  greyhound  loathes  his  food, 
My  horse  is  weary  of  his  stall. 
And  I  am  sick  of  captive  thraU. 


LAY  OF  THE  IMPRISONED  HUNTSMAN         53 

I  wish  I  were,  as  I  have  been,  5 

Hunting  the  hart  in  forest  green, 
With  bended  bow  and  bloodhound  free. 
For  that's  the  hfe  is  meet  for  me. 

I  hate  to  learn  the  ebb  of  time 

From  yon  deep  steeple's  drowsy  chime,  10 

Or  mark  it  as  the  sunbeams  crawl. 

Inch  after  inch,  along  the  wall. 

The  lark  was  wont  my  matins  ring, 

The  sable  rook  my  vespers  sing; 

These  towers,  although  a  king's  they  be,  15 

Have  not  a  hall  of  joy  for  me. 

No  more  at  dawning  sun  I  rise. 

And  sun  myself  in  Ellen's  eyes, 

Drive  the  fleet  deer  the  forest  through, 

And  homeward  wend  with  evening  dew ;  20 

A  blithesome  welcome  proudly  meet. 

And  lay  my  trophies  at  her  feet. 

While  fled  the  eve  on  wing  of  glee. 

That  hfe  is  lost  to  love  and  me ! 


X.  Farewell 

Harp  of  the  North,  farewell !   The  hills  grow  dark, 
On  purple  peaks  a  deeper  shade  descending; 

In  twilight  copse  the  glow-worm  lights  her  spark. 
The  deer,  half-seen,  are  to  the  covert  wending. 


54  THE  LADY  OF  THE  LAKE 

Resume  thy  wizard  elm !  the  fountain  lending,  5 

And  the  wild  breeze,  thy  wilder  minstrelsy; 

Thy  numbers  sweet  with  nature's  vespers  blending. 
With  distant  echo  from  the  fold  and  lea, 
And  herd-boy's  evening  pipe,  and  hum  of  housing  bee. 

Yet,  once  again,  farewell,  thou  Minstrel  harp,  10 

Yet,  once  again,  forgive  my  feeble  sway. 
And  little  reck  I  of  the  censure  sharp 

May  idly  cavil  at  an  idle  lay. 
Much  have  I  owed  thy  strains  on  life's  long  way. 

Through  secret  woes  the  world  has  never  known,  15 
When  on  the  weary  night  dawn'd  wearier  day. 

And  bitterer  was  the  grief  devour'd  alone. 
That  I  outhve  such  woes,  Enchantress!  is  thine  own. 

Hark !  as  my  lingering  footsteps  slow  retire. 

Some  Spirit  of  the  Air  has  wak'd  thy  string !  20 

'Tis  now  a  seraph  bold,  with  touch  of  fire, 

'Tis  now  the  brush  of  Fairy's  frolic  wing. 
Receding  now,  the  dying  numbers  ring 

Fainter  and  fainter  down  the  rugged  dell. 
And  now  the  mountain  breezes  scarcely  bring  25 

A  wandering  witch-note  of  the  distant  spell — 
And  now,  'tis  silent  all !— Enchantress,  fare  thee  well ! 


DAWN  AND  SUNRISE  55 

EXTRACTS  FROM  ROKEBY 

I.  Dawn  and  Sunrise 

Far  in  the  chambers  of  the  west 

The  gale  had  sigh'd  itself  to  rest ; 

The  moon  was  cloudless  now  and  clear, 

But  pale,  and  soon  to  disappear. 

The  thin  grey  clouds  wax  dimly  light  5 

On  Brusleton  and  Houghton  height ; 

And  the  rich  dale,  that  eastward  lay. 

Waited  the  wakening  touch  of  day. 

To  give  its  woods  and  cultur'd  plain. 

And  towers  and  spires,  to  light  again,  lo 

But,  westward,  Stanmore's  shapeless  swell, 

And  Lunedale  wild,  and  Kelton-fell, 

And  rock-begirdled  Gilmanscar, 

And  Arkingarth,  lay  dark  afar; 

While,  as  a  Hvelier  twilight  falls,  15 

Emerge  proud  Barnard's  banner'd  walls. 

High-crown'd  he  sits,  in  dawning  pale, 

The  sovereign  of  the  lovely  vale. 

What  prospects,  from  his  watch-tower  high, 

Gleam  gradual  on  the  warder's  eye ! —  20 

Far  sweeping  to  the  east,  he  sees 

Down  his  deep  woods  the  course  of  Tees, 

And  tracks  his  wanderings  by  the  steam 

Of  summer  vapours  from  the  stream ; 


56  ROKEBY 

And  ere  he  pac'd  his  destin'd  hour  25 

By  Brackenbury's  dungeon-tower, 

These  silver  mists  shall  melt  away, 

And  dew  the  woods  with  glittering  spray. 

Then  in  broad  lustre  shall  be  shown 

That  mighty  trench  of  living  stone,  30 

And  each  huge  trunk  that,  from  the  side. 

Reclines  him  o'er  the  darksome  tide. 

Where  Tees,  full  many  a  fathom  low. 

Wears  with  his  rage  no  common  foe; 

For  pebbly  bank  nor  sand-bed  here,  35 

Nor  clay-mound,  checks  his  fierce  career, 

Condemn'd  to  mine  a  channell'd  way 

O'er  solid  sheets  of  marble  grey. 

Nor  Tees  alone,  in  dawning  bright. 

Shall  rush  upon  the  ravish'd  sight;  40 

But  many  a  tributary  stream 

Each  from  its  own  dark  dell  shall  gleam: 

Staindrop,  who,  from  her  silvan  bowers. 

Salutes  proud  Raby's  battled  towers; 

The  rural  brook  of  Egliston,  45 

And  Balder,  nam'd  from  Odin's  son; 

And  Greta,  to  whose  banks  ere  long 

We  lead  the  lovers  of  the  song; 

And  silver  Lune,  from  Stanmore  wild, 

And  fairy  Thorsgill's  murmuring  child,  50 

And  last  and  least,  but  loveliest  still. 

Romantic  Deepdale's  slender  rill. 


DAWN  AND  SUNRISE  57 

Who  in  that  dim-wood  glen  hath  stray'd, 

Yet  long'd  for  RosHn's  magic  glade? 

Who,  wandering  there,  hath  sought  to  change        55 

Even  for  that  vale  so  stern  and  strange. 

Where  Cartland's  Crags,  fantastic  rent, 

Through  her  green  copse  like  spires  are  sent? 

Yet,  Albin,  yet  the  praise  be  thine, 

Thy  scenes  and  story  to  combine !  60 

Thou  bid'st  him,  who  by  Roslin  strays, 

List  to  the  deeds  of  other  days ; 

'Mid  Cartland's  Crags  thou  show'st  the  cave, 

The  refuge  of  thy  champion  brave; 

Giving  each  rock  its  storied  tale,  65 

Pouring  a  lay  for  every  dale. 

Knitting,  as  with  a  moral  band. 

Thy  native  legends  with  thy  land. 

To  lend  each  scene  the  interest  high 

Which  genius  beams  from  Beauty's  eye.  70 


II.  Edmund's  Songs 

(I) 

O,  Brignal  banks  are  wild  and  fair. 
And  Greta  woods  are  green. 

And  you  may  gather  garlands  there. 
Would  grace  a  summer  queen. 


58  ROKEBY 

And  as  I  rode  by  Dalton-hall,  5 

Beneath  the  turrets  high, 
A  maiden  on  the  castle  wall 

Was  singing  merrily, — 
'  O,  Brignal  banks  are  fresh  and  fair, 

And  Greta  woods  are  green ;  lo 

I'd  rather  rove  with  Edmund  there. 

Than  reign  our  English  queen.' 

'  If,  maiden,  thou  wouldst  wend  with  me. 

To  leave  both  tower  and  town. 
Thou  first  must  guess  what  hfe  lead  we,  15 

That  dwell  by  dale  and  down. 
And  if  thou  canst  that  riddle  read. 

As  read  full  well  you  may. 
Then  to  the  greenwood  shalt  thou  speed. 

As  blithe  as  Queen  of  May.'  2° 

Yet  sung  she,  '  Brignal  banks  are  fair. 

And  Greta  woods  are  green ; 
I'd  rather  rove  with  Edmund  there. 

Than  reign  our  Enghsh  queen. 

I  read  you,  by  your  bugle-horn,  25 

And  by  your  palfrey  good, 
I  read  you  for  a  ranger  sworn. 

To  keep  the  king's  greenwood ' — 
'A  ranger,  lady,  winds  his  horn. 

And  'tis  at  peep  of  light;  3° 

His  blast  is  heard  at  merry  morn. 

And  mine  at  dead  of  night.' 


EDMUND'S  SONGS  59 

Yet  sung  she,  '  Brignal  banks  are  fair. 

And  Greta  woods  are  gay; 
I  would  I  were  with  Edmund  there,  35 

To  reign  his  Queen  of  May ! 

With  burnish'd  brand  and  musketoon. 

So  gallantly  you  come, 
I  read  you  for  a  bold  dragoon, 

That  lists  the  tuck  of  drum.' —  40 

'  I  list  no  more  the  tuck  of  drum. 

No  more  the  trumpet  hear; 
But  when  the  beetle  sounds  his  hum. 

My  comrades  take  the  spear. 
And  O !  though  Brignal  banks  be  fair,  45 

And  Greta  woods  be  gay. 
Yet  mickle  must  the  maiden  dare, 

Would  reign  my  Queen  of  May ! 

Maiden !  a  nameless  life  I  lead, 

A  nameless  death  I'll  die;  50 

The  fiend,  whose  lantern  lights  the  mead. 

Were  better  mate  than  I ! 
And  when  I'm  with  my  comrades  met 

Beneath  the  greenwood  bough, 
What  once  we  were  we  all  forget,  55 

Nor  think  what  we  are  now. 
Yet  Brignal  banks  are  fresh  and  fair, 

And  Greta  woods  are  green. 
And  you  may  gather  garlands  there 

Would  grace  a  summer  queen.'  60 


6o  ROKEBY 

(2) 

'  A  weary  lot  is  thine,  fair  maid, 

A  weary  lot  is  thine ! 
To  pull  the  thorn  thy  brow  to  braid. 

And  press  the  rue  for  wine ! 
A  lightsome  eye,  a  soldier's  mien,  5 

A  feather  of  the  blue, 
A  doublet  of  the  Lincoln  green, — 

No  more  of  me  you  knew, 

My  love ! 

No  more  of  me  you  knew.  10 

This  morn  is  merry  June,  I  trow, 

The  rose  is  budding  fain ; 
But  she  shall  bloom  in  winter  snow, 

Ere  we  two  meet  again.' 
He  turn'd  his  charger  as  he  spake,  15 

Upon  the  river  shore, 
He  gave  his  bridle-reins  a  shake. 

Said,  '  Adieu  for  evermore. 

My  love ! 

Adieu  for  evermore.  20 

(3) 

Allen-a-Dale  has  no  fagot  for  burning, 
Allen-a-Dale  has  no  furrow  for  turning, 
Allen-a-Dale  has  no  fleece  for  the  spinning, 
Yet  Allen-a-Dale  has  red  gold  for  the  winning. 


EDMUND'S  SONGS  6l 

Come,  read  me  my  riddle !  come,  hearken  my  tale !         5 
And  tell  me  the  craft  of  bold  Allen-a-Dale. 

The  Baron  of  Ravensworth  prances  in  pride, 

And  he  views  his  domains  upon  Arkindale  side. 

The  mere  for  his  net,  and  the  land  for  his  game, 

The  chase  for  the  wild,  and  the  park  for  the  tame;       10 

Yet  the  fish  of  the  lake,  and  the  deer  of  the  vale. 

Are  less  free  to  Lord  Dacre  than  Allen-a-Dale. 

Allen-a-Dale  was  ne'er  belted  a  knight, 

Though  his  spur  be  as  sharp,  and  his  blade  be  as  bright  ; 

Allen-a-Dale  is  no  baron  or  lord,  15 

Yet  twenty  tall  yeomen  will  draw  at  his  word; 

And  the  best  of  our  nobles  his  bonnet  will  vail. 

Who  at  Rere-cross  on  Stanmore  meets  Allen-a-Dale. 

Allen-a-Dale  to  his  wooing  is  come; 
The  mother,  she  ask'd  of  his  household  and  home:        20 
'  Though  the  castle  of  Richmond  stand  fair  on  the  hill. 
My  hall,'  quoth  bold  Allen,  'shows  gallanter  still; 
'Tis  the  blue  vault  of  heaven,  with  its  crescent  so  pale. 
And  with  all  its  bright  spangles ! '  said  Allen-a-Dale. 

The  father  was  steel,  and  the  mother  was  stone;  25 

They  lifted  the  latch,  and  they  bade  him  be  gone; 
But  loud,  on  the  morrow,  their  wail  and  their  cry : 
He  had  laugh'd  on  the  lass  with  his  bonny  black  eye. 
And  she  fled  to  the  forest  to  hear  a  love-tale. 
And  the  youth  it  was  told  by  was  Allen-a-Dale !  30 


62  ROKEBY 


III.  Thorsgill 


When  Denmark's  raven  soar'd  on  high, 

Triumphant  through  Northumbrian  sky. 

Till,  hovering  near,  her  fatal  croak 

Bade  Reged's  Britons  dread  the  yoke. 

And  the  broad  shadow  of  her  wing  5 

Blacken'd  each  cataract  and  spring, 

Where  Tees  in  tumult  leaves  his  source, 

Thundering  o'er  Caldron  and  High-Force; 

Beneath  the  shade  the  Northmen  came, 

Fix'd  on  each  vale  a  Runic  name,  lo 

Rear'd  high  their  altar's  rugged  stone, 

And  gave  their  gods  the  land  they  won. 

Then,  Balder,  one  bleak  garth  was  thine. 

And  one  sweet  brooklet's  silver  line. 

And  Woden's  Croft  did  title  gain  i5 

From  the  stern  Father  of  the  Slain ; 

But  to  the  Monarch  of  the  Mace, 

That  held  in  fight  the  foremost  place. 

To  Odin's  son,  and  Sifia's  spouse. 

Near  Stratforth  high  they  paid  their  vows,         20 

Remember'd  Thor's  victorious  fame. 

And  gave  the  dell  the  Thunderer's  name. 

Yet  Scald  or  Kemper  err'd,  I  ween. 

Who  gave  that  soft  and  quiet  scene. 

With  all  its  varied  light  and  shade,  25 

And  every  little  sunny  glade. 


THORSGILL  63 

And  the  blithe  brook  that  strolls  along 

Its  pebbled  bed  with  summer  song, 

To  the  grim  God  of  blood  and  scar, 

The  grisly  King  of  Northern  War.  30 

O,  better  were  its  banks  assign'd 

To  spirits  of  a  gentler  kind ! 

For  where  the  thicket-groups  recede. 

And  the  rath  primrose  decks  the  mead, 

The  velvet  grass  seems  carpet  meet  ^5 

For  the  light  fairies'  lively  feet. 

Yon  tufted  knoll,  with  daisies  strown, 

Might  make  proud  Oberon  a  throne. 

While,  hidden  in  the  thicket  nigh. 

Puck  should  brood  o'er  his  frolic  sly ;  40 

And  where  profuse  the  wood-vetch  clings 

Round  ash  and  elm,  in  verdant  rings, 

Its  pale  and  azure-pencill'd  flower 

Should  canopy  Titania's  bower. 

Here  rise  no  cliffs  the  vale  to  shade;  45 

But,  skirting  every  sunny  glade, 

In  fair  variety  of  green 

The  woodland  lends  its  silvan  screen. 

Hoary,  yet  haughty,  frowns  the  oak, 

Its  boughs  by  weight  of  ages  broke;  50 

And  towers  erect,  in  sable  spire. 

The  pine-tree  scath'd  by  lightning-fire; 

The  drooping  ash  and  birch,  between. 

Hang  their  fair  tresses  o'er  the  green, 


64  ROKEBY 

And  all  beneath,  at  random  grow,  55 

Each  coppice  dwarf  of  varied  show. 

Or,  round  the  stems  profusely  twin'd, 

Fling  summer  odours  on  the  wind. 

Such  varied  group  Urbino's  hand 

Round  Him  of  Tarsus  nobly  plann'd,  60 

What  time  he  bade  proud  Athens  own 

On  Mars's  Mount  the  God  Unknown ! 

Then  grey  Philosophy  stood  nigh. 

Though  bent  by  age,  in  spirit  high: 

There  rose  the  scar-seam 'd  veteran's  spear,         65 

There  Grecian  Beauty  bent  to  hear. 

While  Childhood  at  her  foot  was  plac'd, 

Or  clung  delighted  to  her  waist. 

IV.  Evening 

The  sultry  summer  day  is  done, 

The  western  hills  have  hid  the  sun, 

But  mountain  peak  and  village  spire 

Retain  reflection  of  his  fire. 

Old  Barnard's  towers  are  purple  still,  5 

To  those  that  gaze  from  Toller-hill; 

Distant  and  high,  the  tower  of  Bowes 

Like  steel  upon  the  anvil  glows; 

And  Stanmore's  ridge,  behind  that  lay. 

Rich  with  the  spoils  of  parting  day,  10 

In  crimson  and  in  gold  array'd. 

Streaks  yet  awhile  the  closing  shade, 


EVENING  65 

Then  slow  resigns  to  darkening  heaven 

The  tints  which  brighter  hours  had  given. 

Thus  aged  men,  full  loth  and  slow,  15 

The  vanities  of  life  forego. 

And  count  their  youthful  follies  o'er. 

Till  Memory  lends  her  light  no  more. 

The  eve,  that  slow  on  upland  fades, 

Has  darker  clos'd  on  Rokeby's  glades,  20 

Where,  sunk  within  their  banks  profound. 

Her  guardian  streams  to  meeting  wound. 

The  stately  oaks,  whose  sombre  frown 

Of  noontide  made  a  twilight  brown. 

Impervious  now  to  fainter  light,  25 

Of  twilight  make  an  early  night. 

Hoarse  into  middle  air  arose 

The  vespers  of  the  roosting  crows. 

And  with  congenial  murmurs  seem 

To  wake  the  Genii  of  the  stream;  30 

For  louder  clamour'd  Greta's  tide, 

And  Tees  in  deeper  voice  replied. 

And  fitful  wak'd  the  evening  wind. 

Fitful  in  sighs  its  breath  resign' d. 


T.  S. 


66  THE  BRIDAL  OF  TRIERMAIN 

EXTRACTS  FROM 
THE  BRIDAL  OF  TRIERMAIN 

I.  The  Magic  Castle 

— -^.   Paled  in  by  many  a  lofty  hill, 

The  narrow  dale  lay  smooth  and  still. 

And,  down  its  verdant  bosom  led, 

A  winding  brooklet  found  its  bed. 

But,  midmost  of  the  vale,  a  mound  5 

Arose  with  airy  turrets  crown'd. 

Buttress,  and  rampire's  circHng  bound. 

And  mighty  keep  and  tower; 
Seem'd  some  primeval  giant's  hand 
The  castle's  massive  walls  had  plann'd,  lo 

A  ponderous  bulwark  to  withstand 

Ambitious  Nimrod's  power. 
Above  the  moated  entrance  slung. 
The  balanc'd  drawbridge  trembling  hung, 

As  jealous  of  a  foe;  15 

Wicket  of  oak,  as  iron  hard. 
With  iron  studded,  clench'd,  and  barr'd. 
And  prong'd  portcuUis,  join'd  to  guard 

The  gloomy  pass  below. 
But  the  grey  walls  no  banners  crown'd,  20 

Upon  the  watch-tower's  airy  round 
No  warder  stood  his  horn  to  sound. 
No  guard  beside  the  bridge  was  found. 
And,  where  the  Gothic  gateway  frown'd, 

Glanc'd  neither  bill  nor  bow.  25 


L-) 


THE  MAGIC  CASTLE  67 

Beneath  the  castle's  gloomy  pride 
In  ample  round  did  Arthur  ride 
Three  times ;  nor  living  thing  he  spied, 

Nor  heard  a  living  sound, 
Save  that,  awakening  from  her  dream,  30 

The  owlet  now  began  to  scream, 
In  concert  with  the  rushing  stream. 

That  wash'd  the  battled  mound. 
He  lighted  from  his  goodly  steed, 
And  he  left  him  to  graze  on  bank  and  mead;         35 
And  slowly  he  climb'd  the  narrow  way. 
That  reach'd  the  entrance  grim  and  grey. 
And  he  stood  the  outward  arch  below. 
And  his  bugle-horn  prepar'd  to  blow, 

In  summons  blithe  and  bold,  4° 

Deeming  to  rouse  from  iron  sleep 
The  guardian  of  this  dismal  Keep, 

Which  well  be  guess'd  the  hold 
Of  wizard  stern,  or  goblin  grim. 
Or  pagan  of  gigantic  limb,  45 

The  tyrant  of  the  wold. 

The  ivory  bugle's  golden  tip 

Twice  touch'd  the  Monarch's  manly  hp. 

And  twice  his  hand  withdrew. 
— Think  not  but  Arthur's  heart  was  good,  50 

His  shield  was  cross'd  by  the  blessed  rood. 
Had  a  pagan  host  before  him  stood. 

He  had  charg'd  them  through  and  through ; 


68  THE  BRIDAL  OF  TRIERMAIN 

Yet  the  silence  of  that  ancient  place 

Sunk  on  his  heart,  and  he  paus'd  a  space  55 

Ere  yet  his  horn  he  blew. 
But,  instant  as  its  'larum  rung, 
The  castle  gate  was  open  flung, 
Portcullis  rose  with  crashing  groan 
Full  harshly  up  its  groove  of  stone ;  60 

The  balance-beams  obey'd  the  blast. 
And  down  the  trembling  drawbridge  cast ; 
The  vaulted  arch  before  him  lay, 
With  nought  to  bar  the  gloomy  way. 
And  onward  Arthur  pac'd,  with  hand  65 

On  CaUburn's  resistless  brand.       \ 


II.  The  Enchanted  Goblet 

At  dawn  of  morn,  ere  on  the  brake 

His  matins  did  a  warbler  make, 

Or  stirr'd  his  wing  to  brush  away 

A  single  dewdrop  from  the  spray, 

Ere  yet  a  sunbeam,  through  the  mist,  5 

The  castle-battlements  had  kiss'd. 

The  gates  revolve,  the  drawbridge  falls. 

And  Arthur  sallies  from  the  walls. 

Doff'd  his  soft  garb  of  Persia's  loom, 

And  steel  from  spur  to  helmet-plume,  10 

His  Lybian  steed  full  proudly  trode. 

And  joyful  neigh'd  beneath  his  load. 


THE  ENCHANTED  GOBLET  69 

The  Monarch  gave  a  passing  sigh 

To  penitence  and  pleasures  by, 

When,  lo!  to  his  astonish'd  ken  15 

Appear'd  the  form  of  Guendolen. 

Beyond  the  outmost  wall  she  stood, 

Attir'd  hke  huntress  of  the  wood : 

Sandall'd  her  feet,  her  ankles  bare. 

And  eagle-plumage  deck'd  her  hair;  20 

Firm  was  her  look,  her  bearing  bold. 

And  in  her  hand  a  cup  of  gold. 

'  Thou  goest ! '  she  said,  '  and  ne'er  again 

Must  we  two  meet,  in  joy  or  pain. 

Full  fain  would  I  this  hour  delay,  25 

Though  weak  the  wish — yet,  wilt  thou  stay? 

— No !  thou  look'st  forward.  Still,  attend, — 

Part  we  hke  lover  and  hke  friend.' 

She  rais'd  the  cup — 'Not  this  the  juice 

The  sluggish  vines  of  earth  produce;  30 

Pledge  we,  at  parting,  in  the  draught 

Which  Genii  love! ' — She  said,  and  quaff 'd; 

And  strange  unwonted  lustres  fly 

From  her  flush'd  cheek  and  sparkling  eye. 

The  courteous  Monarch  bent  him  low,  35 

And,  stooping  down  from  saddlebow. 

Lifted  the  cup,  in  act  to  drink. 

A  drop  escap'd  the  goblet's  brink — 

Intense  as  hquid  fire  from  hell. 

Upon  the  charger's  neck  it  fell.  40 


70  THE  BRIDAL  OF  TRIERMAIN 

Screaming  with  agony  and  fright, 

He  bolted  twenty  feet  upright ! 

The  peasant  still  can  show  the  dint, 

Where  his  hoofs  lighted  on  the  flint. 

From  Arthur's  hand  the  goblet  flew,  45 

Scattering  a  shower  of  fiery  dew, 

That  burn'd  and  bhghted  where  it  fell ! 

The  frantic  steed  rush'd  up  the  dell. 

As  whistles  from  the  bow  the  reed ; 

Nor  bit  nor  rein  could  check  his  speed,  50 

Until  he  gain'd  the  hill; 
Then  breath  and  sinew  fail'd  apace. 
And,  reeling  from  the  desperate  race. 

He  stood,  exhausted,  stiU. 
The  Monarch,  breathless  and  amaz'd,  55 

Back  on  the  fatal  castle  gaz'd: 
Nor  tower  nor  donjon  could  he  spy, 
Darkening  against  the  morning  sky; 
But,  on  the  spot  where  once  they  frown'd. 
The  lonely  streamlet  brawl' d  around  60 

A  tufted  knoU,  where  dimly  shone 
Fragments  of  rock  and  rifted  stone. 

III.  The  Defenceless  Border 

Bewcastle  now  must  keep  the  Hold, 
Speir-Adam's  steeds  must  bide  in  stall. 

Of  Harley-burn  the  bowmen  bold 
Must  only  shoot  from  battled  wall ; 


THE  DEFENCELESS  BORDER  71 

And  Liddesdale  may  buckle  spur,  5 

And  Teviot  now  may  belt  the  brand, 
Taras  and  Ewes  keep  nightly  stir. 

And  Eskdale  foray  Cumberland. 
Of  wasted  fields  and  plunder'd  flocks 

The  Borderers  bootless  may  complain;  10 

They  lack  the  sword  of  brave  de  Vaux, 

There  comes  no  aid  from  Triermain. 
That  lord,  on  high  adventure  bound, 

Hath  wander'd  forth  alone, 
And  day  and  night  keeps  watchful  round  15 

In  the  valley  of  Saint  John. 

EXTRACTS  FROM 
THE  LORD  OF  THE  ISLES 

I,  Autumn  on  Tweedside 

Autumn  departs;  but  still  his  mantle's  fold 
Rests  on  the  groves  of  noble  Somerville ; 
Beneath  a  shroud  of  russet  dropp'd  with  gold 
Tweed  and  his  tributaries  mingle  still  ; 
Hoarser  the  wind,  and  deeper  sounds  the  rill,  5 

Yet  hngering  notes  of  silvan  music  swell. 
The  deep-ton'd  cushat,  and  the  redbreast  shrill; 
And  yet  some  tints  of  summer  splendour  tell 
When  the  broad  sun  sinks  down  on  Ettrick's  western  fell. 

Autumn  departs;  from  Gala's  fields  no  more  10 

Come  rural  sounds  our  kindred  banks  to  cheer; 
Blent  with  the  stream,  and  gale  that  wafts  it  o'er. 


72  THE  LORD  OF  THE  ISLES 

No  more  the  distant  reaper's  mirth  we  hear. 
The  last  bHthe  shout  hath  died  upon  our  ear. 
And  harvest-home  hath  hush'd  the  clanging  wain;    15 
On  the  waste  hill  no  forms  of  life  appear, 
Save  where,  sad  laggard  of  the  autumnal  train, 
Some  age-struck  wanderer  gleans  few  ears  of  scatter'd 
grain. 

Deem'st  thou  these  sadden'd  scenes  have  pleasure  still? 
Lov'st  thou  through  Autumn's  fading  realms  to  stray, 
To  see  the  heath-flower  wither'd  on  the  hill,  21 

To  listen  to  the  wood's  expiring  lay. 
To  note  the  red  leaf  shivering  on  the  spray. 
To  mark  the  last  bright  tints  the  mountain  stain. 
On  the  waste  fields  to  trace  the  gleaner's  way,  25 

And  moralize  on  mortal  joy  and  pain? 
O !  if  such  scenes  thou  lov'st,  scorn  not  the  minstrel  strain. 

No !  do  not  scorn,  although  its  hoarser  note 
Scarce  with  the  cushat's  homely  song  can  vie. 
Though  faint  its  beauties  as  the  tints  remote  30 

That  gleam  through  mist  in  autumn's  evening  sky, 
And  few  as  leaves  that  tremble,  sear  and  dry. 
When  wild  November  hath  his  bugle  wound : 
Nor  mock  my  toil — a  lonely  gleaner  I, 
Through  fields  time-wasted,  on  sad  inquest  bound,   35 
Where  happier  bards  of  yore  have  richer  harvest  found. 

So  shalt  thou  list,  and  haply  not  unmov'd. 
To  a  wild  tale  of  Albyn's  warrior  day; 


AUTUMN  ON  TWEEDSIDE  73 

In  distant  lands,  by  the  rough  West  reprov'd, 
Still  live  some  reHcs  of  the  ancient  lay.  40 

For,  when  on  Coolin's  hills  the  lights  decay. 
With  such  the  Seer  of  Skye  the  eve  beguiles ; 
'Tis  known  amid  the  pathless  wastes  of  Reay, 
In  Harries  known,  and  in  lona's  piles, 
Where  rest  from  mortal  coil  the  Mighty  of  the  Isles.     45 

II.  The  Brooch  of  Lorn 

Whence  the  brooch  of  burning  gold, 
That  clasps  the  Chieftain's  mantle-fold, 
Wrought  and  chas'd  with  rare  device. 
Studded  fair  with  gems  of  price, 
On  the  varied  tartans  beaming,  5 

As,  through  night's  pale  rainbow  gleaming. 
Fainter  now,  now  seen  afar. 
Fitful  shines  the  northern  star? 

Gem !  ne'er  wrought  on  Highland  mountain. 

Did  the  fairy  of  the  fountain,  10 

Or  the  mermaid  of  the  wave 

Frame  thee  in  some  coral  cave? 

Did,  in  Iceland's  darksome  mine. 

Dwarf's  swart  hands  thy  metal  twine? 

Or,  mortal-moulded,  com'st  thou  here  15 

From  England's  love,  or  France's  fear? 

No ! — thy  splendours  nothing  tell 
Foreign  art  or  faery  spell. 


74  THE  LORD  OF  THE  ISLES 

Moulded  thou  for  monarch's  use. 

By  the  overweening  Bruce,  20 

When  the  royal  robe  he  tied 

O'er  a  heart  of  wrath  and  pride; 

Thence  in  triumph  wert  thou  torn, 

By  the  victor  hand  of  Lorn ! 

When  the  gem  was  won  and  lost,  25 

Widely  was  the  war-cry  toss'd ! 

Rung  aloud  Bendourish  fell, 

Answer'd  Douchart's  sounding  dell, 

Fled  the  deer  from  wild  Teyndrum, 

When  the  homicide,  o'ercome,  3° 

Hardly  'scap'd  with  scathe  and  scorn, 

Left  the  pledge  with  conquering  Lorn ! 

Vain  was  then  the  Douglas  brand. 

Vain  the  Campbell's  vaunted  hand, 

Vain  Kirkpatrick's  bloody  dirk,  35 

Making  sure  of  murder's  work; 

Barendown  fled  fast  away, 

Fled  the  fiery  De  la  Haye, 

When  this  brooch,  triumphant  borne, 

Beam'd  upon  the  breast  of  Lorn.  4° 

Farthest  fled  its  former  Lord, 
Left  his  men  to  brand  and  cord. 
Bloody  brand  of  Highland  steel, 
Enghsh  gibbet,  axe,  and  wheel. 


THE  BROOCH  OF  LORN  75 

Let  him  fly  from  coast  to  coast,  45 

Dogg'd  by  Comyn's  vengeful  ghost. 
While  his  spoils,  in  triumph  worn, 
Long  shall  grace  victorious  Lorn ! 

III.  Loch  Coruisk 

With  Bruce  and  Ronald  bides  the  tale. 

To  favouring  winds  they  gave  the  sail, 

Till  Mull's  dark  headlands  scarce  they  knew. 

And  Ardnamurchan's  hills  were  blue. 

But  then  the  squalls  blew  close  and  hard,  5 

And,  fain  to  strike  the  galley's  yard. 

And  take  them  to  the  oar, 
With  these  rude  seas,  in  weary  plight. 
They  strove  the  livelong  day  and  night, 
Nor  tiU  the  dawning  had  a  sight  10 

Of  Skye's  romantic  shore. 
Where  Coolin  stoops  him  to  the  west. 
They  saw  upon  his  shiver' d  crest 

The  sun's  arising  gleam ; 
But  such  the  labour  and  delay,  15 

Ere  they  were  moor'd  in  Scavigh  bay, 
(For  calmer  heaven  compell'd  to  stay,) 

He  shot  a  western  beam. 
Then  Ronald  said,  '  If  true  mine  eye. 
These  are  the  savage  wilds  that  he  20 

North  of  Strathnardill  and  Dunskye ; 

No  human  foot  comes  here, 


76  THE  LORD  OF  THE  ISLES 

And,  since  these  adverse  breezes  blow. 

If  my  good  Liege  love  hunter's  bow, 

What  hinders  that  on  land  we  go,  25 

And  strike  a  mountain-deer? 
Allan,  my  page,  shall  with  us  wend ; 
A  bow  full  deftly  can  he  bend. 
And,  if  we  meet  a  herd,  may  send 

A  shaft  shaU  mend  our  cheer.'  3° 

Then  each  took  bow  and  bolts  in  hand. 
Their  row-boat  launch' d  and  leapt  to  land. 

And  left  their  skiff  and  train. 
Where  a  wild  stream,  with  headlong  shock. 
Came  brawhng  down  its  bed  of  rock,  35 

To  mingle  with  the  main. 


Awhile  their  route  they  silent  made, 
As  men  who  stalk  for  mountain-deer. 

Till  the  good  Bruce  to  Ronald  said, 

'  St  Mary !  what  a  scene  is  here !  40 

I've  travers'd  many  a  mountain-strand. 

Abroad  and  in  my  native  land, 

And  it  has  been  my  lot  to  tread 

Where  safety  more  than  pleasure  led; 

Thus,  many  a  waste  I've  wander'd  o'er,  45 

Clombe  many  a  crag,  cross' d  many  a  moor. 
But,  by  my  hahdome, 

A  scene  so  rude,  so  wild  as  this. 

Yet  so  sublime  in  barrenness. 


LOCH  CORUISK  'j^ 

Ne'er  did  my  wandering  footsteps  press,  50 

Where'er  I  happ'd  to  roam.' 

No  marvel  thus  the  Monarch  spake; 

For  rarely  human  eye  has  known 
A  scene  so  stern  as  that  dread  lake, 

With  its  dark  ledge  of  barren  stone.  55 

Seems  that  primeval  earthquake's  sway 
Hath  rent  a  strange  and  shatter' d  way 

Through  the  rude  bosom  of  the  hill, 
And  that  each  naked  precipice. 
Sable  ravine,  and  dark  abyss,  60 

Tells  of  the  outrage  still. 
The  wildest  glen,  but  this,  can  show 
Some  touch  of  Nature's  genial  glow; 
On  high  Benmore  green  mosses  grow. 
And  heath-bells  bud  in  deep  Glencroe,  65 

And  copse  on  Cruchan-Ben ; 
But  here, — above,  around,  below. 

On  mountain  or  in  glen. 
Nor  tree,  nor  shrub,  nor  plant,  nor  flower. 
Nor  aught  of  vegetative  power,  70 

The  weary  eye  may  ken. 
For  all  is  rocks  at  random  thrown. 
Black  waves,  bare  crags,  and  banks  of  stone. 

As  if  were  here  denied 
The  summer  sun,  the  spring's  sweet  dew,  75 

That  clothe  with  many  a  varied  hue 

The  bleakest  mountain-side. 

And  wilder,  forward  as  they  wound. 


8o 


78  THE  LORD  OF  THE  ISLES 

Were  the  proud  cliffs  and  lake  profound. 
Huge  terraces  of  granite  black 
Afforded  rude  and  cumber'd  track; 

For,  from  the  mountain  hoar, 
Hurl'd  headlong  in  some  night  of  fear. 
When  yell'd  the  wolf  and  fled  the  deer, 

Loose  crags  had  toppled  o'er;  85 

And  some,  chance-pois'd  and  balanc'd,  lay, 
So  that  a  stripHng  arm  might  sway 

A  mass  no  host  could  raise, 
In  Nature's  rage  at  random  thrown. 
Yet  trembling  Hke  the  Druid's  stone  90 

On  its  precarious  base. 
The  evening  mists,  with  ceaseless  change, 
Now  cloth'd  the  mountains'  lofty  range, 

Now  left  their  foreheads  bare. 
And  round  the  skirts  their  mantle  furl'd,  95 

Or  on  the  sable  waters  curl'd. 
Or  on  the  eddying  breezes  whirl'd, 

Dispers'd  in  middle  air. 
And  oft,  condens'd,  at  once  they  lower. 
When,  brief  and  fierce,  the  mountain  shower        100 

Pours  like  a  torrent  down. 
And  when  return  the  sun's  glad  beams, 
Whiten'd  with  foam  a  thousand  streams 

Leap  from  the  mountain's  crown. 

'This  lake,'  said  Bruce,  'whose  barriers  drear       105 
Are  precipices  sharp  and  sheer. 
Yielding  no  track  for  goat  or  deer. 


LOCH  CORUISK  79 

Save  the  black  shelves  we  tread, 
How  term  you  its  dark  waves?  and  how 
Yon  northern  mountain's  pathless  brow,       ^        no 

And  yonder  peak  of  dread, 
That  to  the  evening  sun  uplifts 
The  griesly  gulfs  and  slaty  rifts. 

Which  seam  its  shiver'd  head? ' 
'Coriskin  call  the  dark  lake's  name,  115 

Coolin  the  ridge,  as  bards  proclaim. 
From  old  Cuchullin,  chief  of  fame. 
But  bards,  familiar  in  our  isles 
Rather  with  Nature's  frowns  than  smiles. 
Full  oft  their  careless  humours  please  120 

By  sportive  names  from  scenes  like  these. 
I  would  old  Torquil  were  to  show 
His  maidens  with  their  breasts  of  snow. 
Or  that  my  noble  Liege  were  nigh 
To  hear  his  Nurse  sing  lullaby !  125 

(The  Maids — tall  cHffs  with  breakers  white, 
The  Nurse — a  torrent's  roaring  might,) 
Or  that  your  eye  could  see  the  mood 
Of  Corryvrekin's  whirlpool  rude. 
When  dons  the  Hag  her  whiten'd  hood !  130 

'Tis  thus  our  islesmen's  fancy  frames. 
For  scenes  so  stern,  fantastic  names.' 


8o  THE  LORD  OF  THE  ISLES 


IV.  The  Voyage  to  Arran 


Merrily,  merrily  goes  the  bark, 

On  a  breeze  from  the  northward  free. 
So  shoots  through  the  morning  sky  the  lark, 

Or  the  swan  through  the  summer  sea. 
The  shores  of  Mull  on  the  eastward  lay,  5 

And  Ulva  dark  and  Colonsay, 
And  all  the  group  of  islets  gay 

That  guard  fam'd  Staffa  round. 
Then  all  unknown  its  columns  rose. 
Where  dark  and  undisturb'd  repose  lo 

The  cormorant  had  found, 
And  the  shy  seal  had  quiet  home. 

And  welter' d  in  that  wondrous  dome. 

Where,  as  to  shame  the  temples  deck'd 

By  skill  of  earthly  architect,  15 

Nature  herself,  it  seem'd,  would  raise 

A  Minster  to  her  Maker's  praise ! 

Not  for  a  meaner  use  ascend 

Her  columns,  or  her  arches  bend ; 

Nor  of  a  theme  less  solemn  tells  20 

That  mighty  surge  that  ebbs  and  swells. 

And  still,  between  each  awful  pause. 

From  the  high  vault  an  answer  draws. 

In  varied  tone  prolong'd  and  high. 

That  mocks  the  organ's  melody.  25 

Nor  doth  its  entrance  front  in  vain 

To  old  lona's  holy  fane, 


THE  VOYAGE  TO  ARRAN  8i 

That  Nature's  voice  might  seem  to  say, 

'  Well  hast  thou  done,  frail  Child  of  clay ! 

Thy  humble  powers  that  stately  shrine  30 

Task'd  high  and  hard — but  witness  mine ! ' 

Merrily,  merrily  goes  the  bark. 

Before  the  gale  she  bounds; 
So  darts  the  dolphin  from  the  shark, 

Or  the  deer  before  the  hounds.  35 

They  left  Loch-Tua  on  their  lee. 
And  they  waken'd  the  men  of  the  wild  Tiree, 

And  the  chief  of  the  sandy  Coll ; 
They  paus'd  not  at  Columba's  isle, 
Though  peal'd  the  bells  from  the  holy  pile  40 

With  long  and  measur'd  toll; 
No  time  for  matin  or  for  mass. 
And  the  sounds  of  the  holy  summons  pass 

Away  in  the  billows'  roll. 
Lochbuie's  fierce  and  warlike  Lord  45 

Their  signal  saw,  and  grasp'd  his  sword, 
And  verdant  Hay  call'd  her  host. 
And  the  clans  of  Jura's  rugged  coast 

Lord  Ronald's  call  obey, 
And  Scarba's  isle,  whose  tortur'd  shore  5° 

Still  rings  to  Corrievreken's  roar. 

And  lonely  Colonsay; 
— Scenes  sung  by  him  who  sings  no  more ! 
His  bright  and  brief  career  is  o'er. 

And  mute  his  tuneful  strains ;  55 

T.  s.  6 


82  THE  LORD  OF  THE  ISLES 

Quench'd  is  his  lamp  of  varied  lore, 
That  lov'd  the  light  of  song  to  pour; 
A  distant  and  a  deadly  shore 
Has  Leyden's  cold  remains! 


V.  The  Death  of  Argentine 

Again  he  fac'd  the  battle-field,— 
Wildly  they  fly,  are  slain,  or  yield. 
'  Now  then,'  he  said,  and  couch'd  his  spear, 
'  My  course  is  run,  the  goal  is  near; 
One  effort  more,  one  brave  career. 

Must  close  this  race  of  mine.' 
Then  in  his  stirrups  rising  high. 
He  shouted  loud  his  battle-cry, 

'  Saint  James  for  Argentine ! ' 
And,  of  the  bold  pursuers,  four 
The  gallant  knight  from  saddle  bore; 
But  not  unharm'd— a  lance's  point 
Has  found  his  breast-plate's  loosen'd  joint, 

An  axe  has  raz'd  his  crest; 
Yet  still  on  Colonsay's  fierce  lord,  i5 

Who  press'd  the  chase  with  gory  sword. 

He  rode  with  spear  in  rest. 
And  through  his  bloody  tartans  bor'd. 

And  through  his  gallant  breast. 
Nail'd  to  the  earth,  the  mountaineer  20 

Yet  writh'd  him  up  against  the  spear, 

And  swung  his  broadsword  round ! 


10 


THE  DEATH  OF  ARGENTINE  83 

— Stirrup,  steel-boot,  and  cuish  gave  way. 
Beneath  that  blow's  tremendous  sway. 

The  blood  gush'd  from  the  wound;  25 

And  the  grim  Lord  of  Colonsay 

Hath  turn'd  him  on  the  ground. 
And  laugh'd  in  death-pang,  that  his  blade 
The  mortal  thrust  so  well  repaid. 

Now  toil'd  the  Bruce,  the  battle  done,  30 

To  use  his  conquest  nobly  won ; 

And  gave  command  for  horse  and  spear 

To  press  the  Southern's  scatter'd  rear. 

Nor  let  his  broken  force  combine. 

When  the  war-cry  of  Argentine  35 

Fell  faintly  on  his  ear; 
'Save,  save  his  life,'  he  cried,  'O  save 
The  kind,  the  noble,  and  the  brave ! ' 
The  squadrons  round  free  passage  gave. 

The  wounded  knight  drew  near;  40 

He  rais'd  his  red-cross  shield  no  more. 
Helm,  cuish,  and  breast-plate  stream'd  with  gore; 
Yet,  as  he  saw  the  King  advance. 
He  strove  even  then  to  couch  his  lance — 

The  effort  was  in  vain !  45 

The  spur-stroke  fail'd  to  rouse  the  horse; 
Wounded  and  weary,  in  mid-course 

He  stumbled  on  the  plain. 

Then  foremost  was  the  generous  Bruce 

To  raise  his  head,  his  helm  to  loose : —  50 

'  Lord  Earl,  the  day  is  thine ! 

6 — 2 


84  THE  LORD  OF  THE  ISLES 

My  Sovereign's  charge,  and  adverse  fate. 
Have  made  our  meeting  all  too  late : 

Yet  this  may  Argentine, 
As  boon  from  ancient  comrade,  crave —  55 

A  Christian's  mass,  a  soldier's  grave.' 

Bruce  press'd  his  dying  hand — its  grasp 
Kindly  rephed ;  but,  in  his  clasp. 

It  stiffen'd  and  grew  cold. 
'  And,  O  farewell ! '  the  victor  cried,  60 

'  Of  chivalry  the  flower  and  pride. 

The  arm  in  battle  bold. 
The  courteous  mien,  the  noble  race. 
The  stainless  faith,  the  manly  face ! — 
Bid  Ninian's  convent  light  their  shrine,  65 

For  late-wake  of  De  Argentine. 
O'er  better  knight  on  death-bier  laid. 
Torch  never  gleam'd,  nor  mass  was  said ! ' 

HELLVELLYN 

I  cUmb'd  the  dark  brow  of  the  mighty  Hellvellyn, 
Lakes  and  mountains  beneath  me  gleam'd  misty  and 
wide; 

All  was  still,  save  by  fits,  when  the  eagle  was  yelhng. 
And  starting  around  me  the  echoes  replied. 

On   the   right,   Striden-edge  round  the   Red-tarn   was 
bending,  5 

And  Catchedicam  its  left  verge  was  defending. 

One  huge  nameless  rock  in  the  front  was  ascending, 
When  I  mark'd  the  sad  spot  where  the  wanderer  died. 


HELLVELLYN  85 

Dark  green  was  that  spot  mid  the  brown  mountain- 
heather, 

Where  the  Pilgrim  of  Nature  lay  stretch'd  in  decay,     10 
Like  the  corpse  of  an  outcast  abandon 'd  to  weather, 

Till  the  mountain-winds  wasted  the  tenantless  clay. 
Nor  yet  quite  deserted,  though  lonely  extended. 
For,  faithful  in  death,  his  mute  favourite  attended. 
The  much-lov'd  remains  of  her  master  defended,  15 

And  chas'd  the  hill-fox  and  the  raven  away. 

How  long  didst  thou  think  that  his  silence  was  slumber? 

When  the  wind  wav'd  his  garment,  how  oft  didst  thou 
start? 
How  many  long  days  and  long  weeks  didst  thou  number, 

Ere  he  faded  before  thee,  the  friend  of  thy  heart?         20 
And,  oh,  was  it  meet  that — no  requiem  read  o'er  him, — 
No  mother  to  weep,  and  no  friend  to  deplore  him, 
And  thou,  little  guardian,  alone  stretch'd  before  him, — 

Unhonour'd  the  Pilgrim  from  life  should  depart? 

When  a  Prince  to  the  fate  of  the  Peasant  has  yielded,      25 
The  tapestry  waves  dark  round  the  dim-lighted  hall  ; 

With  scutcheons  of  silver  the  coffin  is  shielded, 
And  pages  stand  mute  by  the  canopied  pall : 

Through  the  courts,  at  deep  midnight,  the  torches  are 
gleaming ; 

In  the  proudly-arch'd  chapel  the  banners  are  beaming; 

Far  adown  the  long  aisle  sacred  music  is  streaming,      31 
Lamenting  a  Chief  of  the  People  should  fall. 


86  HELLVELLYN 

But  meeter  for  thee,  gentle  lover  of  nature, 

To  lay  down  thy  head  like  the  meek  mountain  lamb, 
When,  wilder'd,  he  drops  from  some  chff  huge  in  stature, 
And  draws  his  last  sob  by  the  side  of  his  dam.  36 

And  more  stately  thy  couch  by  this  desert  lake  lying, 
Thy  obsequies  sung  by  the  grey  plover  flying. 
With  one  faithful  friend  but  to  witness  thy  dying. 

In  the  arms  of  Hellvellyn  and  Catchedicam.  4° 


THE  PALMER 

'  O,  open  the  door,  some  pity  to  show. 

Keen  blows  the  northern  wind ! 
The  glen  is  white  with  the  drifted  snow. 

And  the  path  is  hard  to  find. 

'  No  outlaw  seeks  your  castle  gate,  5 

From  chasing  the  King's  deer, 
Though  even  an  outlaw's  wretched  state 

Might  claim  compassion  here. 

'  A  weary  Palmer,  worn  and  weak, 

I  wander  for  my  sin;  10 

O,  open,  for  Our  Lady's  sake! 

A  pilgrim's  blessing  win ! 

'I'll  give  you  pardons  from  the  Pope, 

And  rehques  from  o'er  the  sea; — 
Or  if  for  these  you  will  not  ope,  15 

Yet  open  for  charity. 


THE  PALMER  87 

'The  hare  is  crouching  in  her  form, 

The  hart  beside  the  hind; 
An  aged  man,  amid  the  storm, 

No  shelter  can  I  find.  20 

'  You  hear  the  Ettrick's  sullen  roar. 

Dark,  deep,  and  strong  is  he. 
And  I  must  ford  the  Ettrick  o'er, 

Unless  you  pity  me. 

'  The  iron  gate  is  bolted  hard,  25 

At  which  I  knock  in  vain ; 
The  owner's  heart  is  closer  barr'd, 

Who  hears  me  thus  complain. 

'Farewell,  farewell!  and  Mary  grant. 
When  old  and  frail  you  be,  3° 

You  never  may  the  shelter  want. 
That's  now  denied  to  me.' 

The  Ranger  on  his  couch  lay  warm. 

And  heard  him  plead  in  vain ; 
But  oft  amid  December's  storm,  35 

He'll  hear  that  voice  again : 

For  lo,  when  through  the  vapours  dank. 

Morn  shone  on  Ettrick  fair, 
A  corpse  amid  the  alders  rank, 

The  Palmer  welter'd  there.  4° 


88  HUNTING  SONG 


"HUNTING  S6NG 

Waken,  lords  and  ladies  gay, 

On  the  mountain  dawns  the  day. 

All  the  jolly  chase  is  here. 

With  hawk,  and  horse,  and  hunting-spear ! 

Hounds  are  in  their  couples  yelling,  5 

Hawks  are  whistling,  horns  are  kneUing, 

Merrily,  merrily,  mingle  they, 

'  Waken,  lords  and  ladies  gay.' 

Waken,  lords  and  ladies  gay. 

The  mist  has  left  the  mountain  grey,  10 

Springlets  in  the  dawn  are  steaming. 

Diamonds  on  the  banks  are  gleaming : 

And  foresters  have  busy  been. 

To  track  the  buck  in  thicket  green; 

Now  we  come  to  chant  our  lay,  15 

'  Welcome,  lords  and  ladies  gay/ 

Waken,  lords  and  ladies  gay. 

To  the  green-wood  haste  away; 

We  can  show  you  where  he  lies. 

Fleet  of  foot,  and  tall  of  size;  20 

We  can  show  the  marks  he  made. 

When  'gainst  the  oak  his  antlers  fray'd 

You  shall  see  him  brought  to  bay, 

'  Waken,  lords  and  ladies  gay.' 


HUNTING  SONG  89 

Louder,  louder  chant  the  lay,  25 

Waken,  lords  and  ladies  gay ! 

Tell  them  youth,  and  mirth,  and  glee, 

Run  a  course  as  well  as  we; 

Time,  stern  huntsman !  who  can  baulk, 

Stanch  as  hound,  and  fleet  as  hawk;  30 

Think  of  this,  and  rise  with  day. 

Gentle  lords  and  ladies  gay. 


THE  SPINDLE  SONG 

-^^wist  ye,  twine  ye !  even  so 
Mingle  shades  of  joy  and  woe, 
Hope,  and  fear,  and  peace,  and  strife. 
In  the  thread  of  human  life. 

While  the  mystic  twist  is  spinning,  5 

And  the  infant's  life  beginning, 
Dimly  seen  through  twilight  bending, 
Lo,  what  varied  shapes  attending ! 

Passions  wild,  and  follies  vain. 

Pleasures  soon  exchang'd  for  pain;  10 

Doubt,  and  jealousy,  and  fear. 

In  the  magic  dance  appear. 

Now  they  wax,  and  now  they  dwindle. 
Whirling  with  the  whirling  spindle. 
Twist  ye,  twine  ye!  even  so  15 

Mingle  human  bhss  and  woe. 


90         ON  THE  MASSACRE  OF  GLENCOE,  1692 


ON  THE  MASSACRE  OF  GLENCOE,  1692 

'  O  tell  me,  Harper,  wherefore  flow 
The  wayward  notes  of  wail  and  woe, 
Far  down  the  desert  of  Glencoe, 

Where  none  may  list  their  melody? 
Say,  harp'st  thou  to  the  mists  that  fly,  *         5 

Or  to  the  dun-deer  glancing  by. 
Or  to  the  eagle,  that  from  high 

Screams  chorus  to  thy  minstrelsy? ' — 

'  No,  not  to  these,  for  they  have  rest, — 

The  mist-wreath  has  the  mountain-crest,  10 

The  stag  his  lair,  the  erne  her  nest. 

Abode  of  lone  security. 
But  those  for  whom  I  pour  the  lay. 
Not  wild-wood  deep,  nor  mountain  grey. 
Not  this  deep  dell,  that  shrouds  from  day,  15 

Could  screen  from  treach'rous  cruelty. 

'  Their  flag  was  furl'd,  and  mute  their  drum. 
The  very  household  dogs  were  dumb, 
Unwont  to  bay  at  guests  that  come 

In  guise  of  hospitahty.  20 

His  bhthest  notes  the  piper  plied, 
Her  gayest  snood  the  maiden  tied. 
The  dame  her  distaff  flung  aside. 

To  tend  her  kindly  housewifery. 


ON  THE  MASSACRE  OF  GLENCOE,  1692         91 

'The  hand  that  mingled  in  the  meal,  25 

At  midnight  drew  the  felon  steel, 
And  gave  the  host's  kind  breast  to  feel 

Meed  for  his  hospitahty ! 
The  friendly  hearth  that  warai'd  that  hand. 
At  midnight  arm'd  it  with  the  brand,  30 

That  bade  destruction's  flames  expand 

Their  red  and  fearful  blazonry. 

'Then  woman's  shriek  was  heard  in  vain. 

Nor  infancy's  unpitied  plain, 

More  than  the  warrior's  groan,  could  gain  35 

Respite  from  ruthless  butchery ! 
The  winter  wind  that  whistled  shrill. 
The  snows  that  night  that  clok'd  the  hill. 
Though  wild  and  pitiless,  had  still 

Far  more  than  Southern  clemency.  40 

'  Long  have  my  harp's  best  notes  been  gone. 
Few  are  its  strings,  and  faint  their  tone. 
They  can  but  sound  in  desert  lone 

Their  grey-hair'd  master's  misery. 
Were  each  grey  hair  a  minstrel  string,  45 

Each  chord  should  imprecations  fling. 
Till  startled  Scotland  loud  should  ring, 

"  Revenge  for  blood  and  treachery ! "  * 


92  JOCK  OF  HAZELDEAN 


JOCK  OF  HAZELDEAN 

'Why  weep  ye  by  the  tide,  ladie? 

Why  weep  ye  by  the  tide? 
I'll  wed  ye  to  my  youngest  son, 

And  ye  sail  be  his  bride : 
And  ye  sail  be  his  bride,  ladie,  5 

Sae  comely  to  be  seen ' — 
But  aye  she  loot  the  tears  down  fa' 

For  Jock  of  Hazeldean. 

'  Now  let  this  wilf u'  grief  be  done. 

And  dry  that  cheek  so  pale;  lo 

Young  Frank  is  chief  of  Errington, 

And  lord  of  Langley-dale  ; 
His  step  is  first  in  peaceful  ha'. 

His  sword  in  battle  keen ' — 
But  aye  she  loot  the  tears  down  fa'  15 

For  Jock  of  Hazeldean. 

'  A  chain  of  gold  ye  sail  not  lack. 

Nor  braed  to  bind  your  hair; 
Nor  mettled  hound,  nor  manag'd  hawk. 

Nor  palfrey  fresh  and  fair;  20 

And  you,  the  foremost  o'  them  a'. 

Shall  ride  our  forest  queen ' — 
But  aye  she  loot  the  tears  down  fa' 

For  Jock  of  Hazeldean. 


JOCK  OF  HAZELDEAN  93 

The  kirk  was  deck'd  at  morning-tide,  25 

The  tapers  glimmer'd  fair; 
The  priest  and  bridegroom  wait  the  bride, 

And  dame  and  knight  are  there. 
They  sought  her  baith  by  bower  and  ha' ; 

The  ladie  was  not  seen !  3° 

She's  o'er  the  Border,  and  awa' 

Wi'  Jock  of  Hazeldean. 


PIBROCH  OF  DONUIL  DHU 

Pibroch  of  Donuil  Dhu, 

Pibroch  of  Donuil, 
Wake  thy  wild  voice  anew. 

Summon  Clan-Conuil. 
Come  away,  come  away,  5 

Hark  to  the  summons ! 
Come  in  your  war  array. 

Gentles  and  commons. 

Come  from  deep  glen,  and 

From  mountain  so  rocky,  10 

The  war-pipe  and  pennon 

Are  at  Inverlochy. 
Come  every  hill-plaid,  and 

True  heart  that  wears  one. 
Come  every  steel  blade,  and  15 

Strong  hand  that  bears  one. 


94  PIBROCH  OF  DONUIL  DHU 

Leave  untended  the  herd, 

Flock  without  shelter; 
Leave  the  corpse  uninterr'd, 

Bride  at  the  altar;  20 

Leave  the  deer,  leave  the  steer, 

Leave  nets  and  barges : 
Come  with  your  fighting  gear. 

Broadswords  and  targes. 

Come  as  the  winds  come,  when  25 

Forests  are  rended, 
Come  as  the  waves  come,  when 

Navies  are  stranded : 
Faster  come,  faster  come. 

Faster  and  faster,  3° 

Chief,  vassal,  page  and  groom. 

Tenant  and  master. 

Fast  they  come,  fast  they  come; 

See  how  they  gather ! 
Wide  waves  the  eagle  plume,  35 

Blended  with  heather. 
Cast  your  plaids,  draw  your  blades. 

Forward,  each  man,  set ! 
Pibroch  of  Donuil  Dhu, 

Knell  for  the  onset !  4° 


REBECCA'S  HYMN  95 


REBECCA'S  HYMN 

When  Israel,  of  the  Lord  belov'd, 

Out  from  the  land  of  bondage  came. 
Her  fathers'  God  before  her  mov'd. 

An  awful  guide  in  smoke  and  flame. 
By  day,  along  the  astonish'd  lands  5 

The  cloudy  pillar  ghded  slow ; 
By  night,  Arabia's  crimson'd  sands 

Return'd  the  fiery  column's  glow. 

There  rose  the  choral  hymn  of  praise. 

And  trump  and  timbrel  answer' d  keen,  lo 

And  Zion's  daughters  pour'd  their  lays. 

With  priest's  and  warrior's  voice  between. 
No  portents  now  our  foes  amaze, 

Forsaken  Israel  wanders  lone : 
Our  fathers  would  not  know  Thy  ways,  15 

And  Thou  hast  left  them  to  their  own. 

But  present  still,  though  now  unseen ! 

When  brightly  shines  the  prosperous  day, 
Be  thoughts  of  Thee  a  cloudy  screen 

To  temper  the  deceitful  ray.  20 

And  oh,  when  stoops  on  Judah's  path 

In  shade  and  storm  the  frequent  night. 
Be  Thou,  long-suffering,  slow  to  wrath, 

A  burning  and  a  shining  light ! 


95  REBECCA'S  HYMN 

Our  harps  we  left  by  Babel's  streams,  25 

The  tyrant's  jest,  the  Gentile's  scorn; 
No  censer  round  our  altar  beams. 

And  mute  are  timbrel,  harp,  and  horn. 
But  Thou  hast  said,  The  blood  of  goat. 

The  flesh  of  rams  I  will  not  prize ;  30 

A  contrite  heart,  a  humble  thought. 

Are  mine  accepted  sacrifice. 


COUNTY  GUY 

Ah !  County  Guy,  the  hour  is  nigh. 

The  sun  has  left  the  lea, 
The  orange  flower  perfumes  the  bower. 

The  breeze  is  on  the  sea. 
The  lark,  his  lay  who  thrill'd  all  day,  5 

Sits  hush'd  his  partner  nigh; 
Breeze,  bird,  and  flower,  confess  the  hour. 

But  where  is  County  Guy? 

The  village  maid  steals  through  the  shade. 

Her  shepherd's  suit  to  hear;  10 

To  beauty  shy,  by  lattice  high. 

Sings  high-born  Cavalier. 
The  star  of  Love,  all  stars  above. 

Now  reigns  o'er  earth  and  sky ; 
And  high  and  low  the  influence  know —  15 

But  where  is  County  Guy? 


NOTES 


THE  GRAY  BROTHER 

This  example  of  Scott's  early  ballad  poetry  appeared  with 
other  '  Imitations  of  the  Ancient  Ballad '  in  The  Minstrelsy  of  the 
Scottish  Border  (1802-3).  Up  to  the  publication  of  The  Lay  of  the 
Last  Minstrel  his  original  poetry,  which  began  in  free  adaptations 
of  the  German  romantic  poetry  of  the  day,  consisted  of  ballads 
turning  upon  mysterious  and  supernatural  incidents.  The  Gray 
Brother,  left  unfinished,  was  founded  upon  a  tradition  of  the 
neighbourhood  of  Scott's  country  residence  at  Lasswade,  Mid- 
lothian. Heron,  the  lord  of  the  barony  of  Gilmerton,  avenged 
himself  upon  the  guilty  love  of  his  daughter  and  the  abbot  of 
Newbattle  by  setting  fire  to  the  grange  of  Gilmerton  and  burning 
the  lovers  to  death. 

1 .  the  high,  high  mass]  The  sing-song  repetition  of  epithets 
is  an  effective  trick  of  the  ballad. 

2.  Saint  Peter's  day]  29  June,  the  feast  of  the  apostles  St 
Peter  and  St  Paul.  The  scene  is  supposed  to  take  place  in  the 
church  of  St  Peter  at  Rome,  the  chief  of  the  ancient  basilicas  of 
the  city. 

13.  the  holiest  word]  The  words  of  consecration  in  the 
canon  of  the  mass. 

19.  Scott  cites  examples  of  the  disturbance  of  religious  duties 
by  the  presence  of  unhallowed  persons  from  the  life  of  the  seven- 
teenth century  Cameronian  preacher,  Alexander  Peden,  and 
quotes  the  ancient  legend  of  Medea,  whose  presence  in  Athens, 
after  her  banishment  from  Corinth,  hindered  the  priest  of  Artemis 
from  the  performance  of  his  sacred  rites. 

43.  Lothian]    See  note  on  1.  19,  p.  no  below. 

44.  Pentland's  mountEiins]  The  Pentland  hills  are  south- 
west of  Edinburgh.  One  of  the  highest  summits,  Carnethy  hill, 
is  mentioned  in  1.  82  below. 

T.  s.  7 


98  NOTES  pp.  3- 

46.  Eske's  fair  v^oods]  The  North  Esk  flows  north-eastward 
through  the  centre  of  Midlothian  and,  after  joining  the  South  Esk 
near  Dalkeith,  enters  the  firth  of  Forth  at  Musselburgh.  '  Upon 
the  whole,'  says  Scott,  'no  stream  in  Scotland  can  boast  such  a 
varied  succession  of  the  most  interesting  objects,  as  well  as  of  the 
most  romantic  and  beautiful  scenery.' 

62.  yield  the  muse  the  day]  The  darkness  of  the  woods  is 
contrasted  with  the  daylight  of  poetic  fancy  which  they  inspire. 

66.  blast  of  bugle]  The  owners  of  Penicuik  held  their  barony 
from  the  Crown  of  Scotland  by  meeting  the  king,  whenever  he 
came  to  hunt  on  the  Borough  muir  near  Edinburgh,  at  a  large 
stone  called  the  Hare  Stone  and  winding  three  blasts  on  a  horn. 
The  Clerks  of  Penicuik  bear  as  their  motto  the  words  '  Free  for  a 
blast.'   Penicuik  house,  the  '  fair  dome'  of  1.  65,  was  built  in  1791. 

67.  Auchendixuiy]  Near  Penicuik.  When  Scott  wrote,  this 
place  was  the  residence  of  Henry  Mackenzie  (1745-1831),  famous 
as  the  author  of  The  Man  oj  Feeling  (1771). 

68.  haunted  Woodhouselee]  Woodhouselee  castle  was  the 
seat  of  Hamilton  of  Bothwellhaugh,  who  murdered  the  regent 
Moray  at  Linlithgow  in  1569-70.  This  act  of  revenge  was  oc- 
casioned by  Moray's  expulsion  of  Hamilton  from  his  estates.  Sir 
James  Bellenden,  to  whom  Woodhouselee  had  been  granted, 
turned  Hamilton's  wife  into  the  fields  on  a  cold  night,  where  she 
went  mad.  Scott's  ballad  Cadyow  Castle  deals  with  Hamilton's 
revenge. 

69.  Melville]  Melville  castle,  between  Lasswade  and  Dal- 
keith. 

70.  Roslin]    See  introd.  note,  p.  112  below. 

71.  Dalkeith]  Dalkeith  palace,  the  chief  seat  of  Scott's  friend 
and  'chieftain,'  the  duke  of  Buccleuch. 

72.  classic  Hawthornden]  See  note  on  1.  32,  p,  113  below. 
The  classic  memory  of  Hawthornden  is  the  visit  of  Ben  Jonson 
to  its  owner,  the  poet  William  Drummond. 

76.    Burndale's  ruin'd  grange]    The  grange  of  Gilmerton, 
the  scene  of  the  tragedy  mentioned  in  introd.  note  above. 
82.    Carnethy's  head]    See  note  on  1.  44,  p.  97  above. 


6  NOTES  99 

86.  Newbattle]  The  Cistercian  abbey  of  Newbattle  (New- 
bottle,  i.e.  the  new  house),  near  Dalkeith,  was  founded  by  king 
David  I  in  1140.  Part  of  the  buildings  are  included  in  the  house 
upon  the  site,  which  belongs  to  the  marquess  of  Lothian. 

99.  a  Gray  Friar]  A  friar  of  the  order  of  St  Francis,  the 
habit  of  which  was  gray.  Dominicans  were  similarly  known  as 
Black  friars  and  Carmelites  as  White  friars. 

103.  Lord  Albert]  The  pilgrim  is  of  course  the  guilty  Heron, 
whose  Christian  name  Scott  brings  in  abruptly. 

107.  St  James  the  divine]  The  relics  of  St  James  the  Great 
were  preserved  at  Santiago  de  Compostela  in  Spain,  a  famous 
place  of  pilgrimage. 

108.  St  John  of  Beverly]  John,  bishop  of  Hexham  687  and 
of  York  705-18,  founded  a  monastery  at  a  place  called  Indera- 
wuda  near  Beverley,  where  he  died  in  72 1 .  As  St  John  of  Beverley, 
he  was  one  of  the  most  famous  saints  of  the  north,  and  his  stand- 
ard, with  those  of  St  Peter,  St  Cuthbert  and  St  Wilfrid,  the 
patron  saints  of  York,  Durham  and  Ripon,  was  carried  upon  a 
car  at  the  battle  of  Northallerton  in  1138,  as  the  sacred  ensign 
of  the  English  army. 

115.  shrive]  Confess.  The  word  is  used  also  for  '  to  absolve  ' 
from  the  point  of  view  of  the  priest. 

128.  The  story  breaks  off  here;  but  it  is  evident  that  the  gray 
brother  is  a  fiend  in  disguise,  corae  to  claim  the  soul  of  the  pilgrim 
for  his  unpardonable  sin. 

EXTRACTS  FROM  THE  LAY  OF  THE  LAST  MINSTREL 
The  Lay  of  the  Last  Minstrel,  Scott's  'first  claim  to  be  con- 
sidered as  an  original  author,'  was  published  in  1805.  Its  origin 
was  the  request  of  Harriet,  countess  of  Dalkeith,  the  wife  of 
Charles  William  Scott,  afterwards  fourth  duke  of  Buccleuch,  that 
Scott  would  write  a  ballad  upon  the  legend  of  Gilpin  Horner,  the 
gobUn  page.  Scott's  first  attempt  gradually  developed  into  a 
narrative  in  verse,  to  the  main  plot  of  which  the  incident  of  the 
goblin  is  accessory. 

The  story  is  a  romance  of  the  Scottish  border,  founded  upon 

7—2 


100  NOTES  p. 

Scott's  unrivalled  knowledge  of  its  actual  and  legendary  history, 
which  had  been  gained  in  his  researches  for  his  collection  of 
Scottish  border- minstrelsy  and  was  fortified  by  his  wide  reading 
in  the  romantic  literature  of  the  middle  ages  and  the  Renaissance. 
As  a  frame  to  his  poem,  he  invented  the  episode  of  the  visit  of 
the  last  survivor  of  the  wandering  bards  of  the  border  to  Newark 
castle  on  the  Yarrow  water,  near  Selkirk,  where  he  sings  to  his 
harp  an  old  story  of  border  feuds,  in  the  presence  of  Anne,  first 
duchess  of  Buccleuch  (d.  1692),  the  widow  of  the  unfortunate 
duke  of  Monmouth.  The  scene  of  his  story  is  laid  about  the  year 
1553,  not  long  after  the  murder  of  sir  Walter  Scott,  one  of  the 
ancestors  of  the  dukes  of  Buccleuch,  in  Edinburgh.  The  murdered 
man's  daughter  Margaret  is  in  love  with  Henry  Cranstoun,  who 
is  involved  in  the  blood-feud  of  the  family;  and  her  mother,  who 
is  skilled  in  magic,  hears  a  dialogue  between  the  spirits  of  the 
flood  and  fell,  prophesying  the  end  of  the  quarrel  in  the  marriage 
of  the  pair.  She  endeavours  to  forestall  the  decree  of  Fate  by 
sending  William  of  Deloraine,  one  of  the  vassals  of  the  house,  to 
fetch  a  book  of  magic  from  the  tomb  of  the  wizard  Michael  Scott 
in  the  abbey  church  of  Melrose.  As  he  returns  with  the  book,  he 
meets  Cranstoun  coming  from  a  secret  interview  with  Margaret 
Scott  and  is  wounded  in  a  single  combat.  Cranstoun  escapes, 
while  his  goblin  page,  left  to  tend  Deloraine,  discovers  the  book 
and  learns  from  it  a  charm  which  enables  him  to  cast  a  glamour 
over  the  sight  of  all  round  him,  so  that  he  can  pursue  his  designs 
unrecognised.  Under  protection  of  this  spell,  he  takes  the 
wounded  Deloraine  back  to  Branxholm  tower  and  entices  the 
young  heir  of  Buccleuch  into  the  forest  outside  the  castle.  Here 
the  boy  is  taken  prisoner  by  a  party  of  English  raiders  from 
Cumberland,  under  command  of  lord  Dacre,  the  warden  of  the 
marches;  while  the  page  assumes  the  boy's  form  and  plays  mis- 
chievous tricks  at  Branxholm.  When  the  news  of  the  raid  is 
learned  from  the  beacon-fires  lighted  on  the  surrounding  hills, 
the  lady  of  the  castle  orders  her  supposed  son  to  go  out  with  his 
knights;  but  the  goblin,  fearing  that  her  magic  will  penetrate  his 
disguise,  feigns  cowardice  and  is  sent,  under  charge  of  the  archer 


6  NOTES  lOI 

Wat  Tinlinn,  to  take  shelter  in  the  wilds  of  Buccleuch.  On  the 
way  he  is  compelled,  at  a  running  stream,  a  sure  antidote  to 
witchcraft,  to  take  his  own  shape  and  escapes,  not  without  a 
wound  from  Tinlinn's  arrow.  Meanwhile,  Dacre  and  his  fellow 
warden,  lord  William  Howard,  appear  before  Branxholm  with 
the  captive  heir  and  demand  the  surrender  of  Deloraine  for  an 
outrage  committed  on  the  Musgraves  in  time  of  truce,  threatening, 
in  case  of  refusal,  to  send  the  boy  as  a  hostage  to  England.  The 
lady  answers  by  demanding  the  trial  of  Deloraine's  innocence  by 
single  combat  between  him  or  his  champion  and  the  injured 
Musgrave.  As  the  English  learn  that  their  way  to  Cumberland  is 
cut  off  by  a  superior  Scottish  force,  Howard  accepts  the  ofier. 
The  combat  is  fixed  for  the  morrow,  a  truce  is  called,  and  both 
hostile  forces  are  entertained  in  the  castle,  together  with  the 
relieving  band  of  Scots,  among  whom  is  Cranstoun,  disguised  by 
his  page's  art  as  a  knight  from  Hermitage  castle  in  Liddesdale. 
He  assumes  secretly  the  armour  of  the  wounded  Deloraine,  whom 
the  lady  is  restoring  to  health  by  a  course  of  magical  treatment, 
impersonates  him  in  the  combat,  kills  Musgrave  and  restores  the 
heir  to  his  mother.  At  the  end  of  the  fight  Deloraine  appears  and 
chivalrously  laments  his  fallen  foe,  whose  body  is  taken  back  to 
Cumberland  by  Dacre,  an  unwilling  witness  of  the  truce. 
Howard's  party  remains  to  celebrate  the  betrothal  of  Margaret 
to  Cranstoun,  in  which  the  lady,  recognising  her  powerlessness  to 
avert  Fate,  acquiesces.  At  the  banquet  which  follows  the  English 
and  Scottish  bards  entertain  the  company  with  their  ballads, 
while  the  goblin  page,  still  in  possession  of  Michael  Scott's  book, 
supplies  an  undercurrent  of  malice  and  mischief.  At  the  close, 
however,  a  sudden  darkness  falls  on  the  hall  and,  in  a  flash  of 
lightning  seen  far  and  wide,  Michael  Scott,  whose  form  is  seen  by 
Deloraine  alone,  summons  the  page,  who  disappears.  The  end  of 
the  poem  describes  the  penances  and  pilgrimages  undertaken  by 
the  partakers  in  the  feud  and  a  Requiem  mass  for  Michael  Scott's 
soul  at  Melrose. 

For  the  irregular  rhymed  metre  of  the  poem  and  its  origin  see 
the  introduction  to  this  volume. 


102  NOTES  pp.  6- 


I.    Branksome  Hall 

1.  Branksome  tower]  The  tower  of  Branksome  or  Branx- 
holm  is  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Teviot,  three  miles  above  Hawick. 
The  barony  of  Branxholm  was  acquired  by  the  Scotts  of  Buc- 
cleuch  early  in  the  fifteenth  century,  and  the  'tower,'  one  of 
those  fortified  houses  which  are  common  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
the  English  and  Scottish  border,  became  their  chief  place  of 
residence. 

2.  the  Ladye]  Janet  Bethune  (Beaton),  the  widow  of  sir 
Walter  Scott  (see  note  on  1.  58  below).  Scott  mentions  that  her 
reputation  for  witchcraft  led  to  the  supposition  that  she  was  one 
of  the  instigators  of  the  murder  of  Darnley  in  1567. 

bcwer]  The  medieval  house  had  two  main  living-rooms,  viz. 
the  hall  or  common  meeting-place  of  the  household,  and  the 
bower,  a  smaller  room  opening  out  of  one  end  of  the  hall  and 
serving  as  a  private  room  for  the  heads  of  the  house.  The  bower 
was  commonly  used  by  the  mistress  of  the  house  and  her  ladies. 
In  larger  houses,  as  time  went  on,  more  private  rooms  were 
added,  but  the  hall  and  bower,  known  also  as  the  great  chamber, 
remained  the  nucleus  of  the  plan.  In  smaller  houses  and  cottages, 
the  main  room  was  known  similarly  as  the  hall  and  a  lesser  room 
adjoining  as  the  bower.  Cf.  Chaucer,  Cant.  Tales,  B,  4022:  'Ful 
sooty  was  hir  bour,  and  eek  hir  halle.'  See  the  mention  of  the 
hall  and  bower  of  Branxholm,  U.  16-19  below,  and  cf.  Words- 
worth's sonnet  London,  1802,  1.  4:  'the  heroic  wealth  of  hall  and 
bower.' 

5.  The  line  is  borrowed  from  Coleridge,  Christabel,  54:  '  Jesu, 
Maria,  shield  her  well ! '  In  Scott's  earliest  draft  of  the  stanzas, 
the  line  ran  'Mary,  mother,  shield  us  well.' 

6.  wiglit]    Creature,  being  (O.E.  wiht). 

8.    idlesse]    An  archaic  form  of  'idleness.' 

13.  the  rushy  floor]  The  floor  of  the  hall  strewn  with  rushes, 
as  was  customary  in  the  middle  ages  and  till  a  much  later  date. 

14.  the  forest  race]  The  forest  is  the  wild  hill-country  lying 
west  of  Branxholm,  a  southward  continuation  of  Ettrick  forest 


7  NOTES  103 

which  forms  the  watershed  of  southern  Scotland.  Teviot  stone 
(1.  15)  is  near  the  source  of  the  Teviot,  which  flows  eastward  to 
Hawick  and  joins  the  Tweed  near  Kelso.  Eskdalemuir  is  at  the 
head  of  the  White  Esk,  which,  flowing  southward,  is  joined  by 
the  Black  Esk,  and  enters  the  Solway  firth  near  Longtown  in 
Cumberland. 

16.  Nine-and-twenty  knights  of  fame]  Relations  and  vas- 
sals of  the  head  of  the  house  of  Scott,  who  held  their  lands  by  the 
tenure  of  military  service  under  their  chief.  Scott  was  descended 
from  one  of  the  branches  of  the  family,  the  Scotts  of  Harden,  and 
commemorates  his  ancestor,  Walter  Scott,  husband  of  Mary 
Scott,  the  famous  'flower  of  Yarrow,'  in  canto  iv,  st.  ix. 

23.  Buccleuch]  The  chief  of  the  house  of  Scott  was  known, 
as  was  customary  in  Scotland,  by  the  name  of  his  estate.  The 
barony  of  Buccleuch  takes  its  name  from  a  ravine  in  Ettrick 
forest,  near  the  confluence  of  the  Rankle  burn  and  Ettrick  water. 
Buccleuch,  the  cleugh  or  glen  of  the  buck,  was  said  to  be  so  called 
from  the  legend  of  the  capture  of  a  buck  there  by  John  of 
Galloway,  the  traditional  founder  of  the  family,  during  a  royal 
hunt  in  the  ninth  century.   Cf .  canto  vi,  st.  viii : 

Since  old  Buccleuch  the  name  did  gain,  ( 

When  in  the  cleuch  the  buck  was  ta'en. 

Sir  Walter  Scott  of  Buccleuch  was  created  baron  Scott  of  Buc- 
cleuch in  the  peerage  of  Scotland  in  1606.  His  son  Walter  was 
created  earl  of  Buccleuch  in  161 9,  and  the  duchy  was  created  in 
1673  in  favour  of  Charles  H's  son  James,  duke  of  Monmouth,  and 
his  wife  Anne,  younger  daughter  and,  after  the  death  of  her  elder 
sister,  sole  heiress  of  the  second  earl. 

25.  belted,  sword]  Sword  worn  hanging  from  a  belt  round 
the  waist. 

26.  harness]    Armour. 

29.  corslet  laced]  With  their  body-armour  fastened  in 
readiness  for  any  disturbance.  'Laced'  applies  strictly  to  the 
quilted  leather  jerkin  or  hacqueton  worn  next  the  body,  which 
formed  a  stiff  inner  lining  to  the  covering  of  plate  armour. 


104  NOTES  pp.  8- 

36.  wight]  Active,  fleet  (O.E.  wict,  from  the  same  root  as 
A.-S.  wig=vfax).  Cf.  the  Lay  of  Havelok  the  Dane,  344:  'He  was 
a  fayr  man,  [and]  a  wict';  Chaucer,  Cant.  Tales,  B,  3457:  'any 
yong  man,  were  he  never  so  wight.'  The  word  has  no  connexion 
with  'wight,'  1.  6  above. 

38.  Barbed]  Armed  for  war.  Barde  is  a  general  French  term 
for  horse-armour  and  the  proper  form  of  the  word  is  'barded,' 
used  by  Scott  in  canto  i,  st.  xxix:  'For  he  was  barded  from 
counter  to  tail.'  One  of  the  blunders  which  led  to  the  discovery 
of  Chatterton's  forgeries  was  his  use  of  the  word  'barbed,'  proper 
to  horses,  to  the  walls  of  a  hall  hung  with  armour. 

39.  Jedwood-axe]  The  weapon  used  by  the  horsemen  of  the 
neighbourhood  of  Jedburgh  and  known  as  a  Jeddart  staff.  It  was 
a  long-handled  weapon  with  an  axe-head :  Scott  describes  it  as  a 
sort  of  partisan,  and  refers  to  its  representation  in  the  shield-of- 
arms  of  Jedburgh,  where  it  is  borne  by  a  horseman. 

41 .  the  custom]  Used  in  the  feudal  sense,  implying  the  manner 
of  service  rendered  by  the  knights  of  Branxholm  to  their  superior. 

42.  dight]  Prepared,  arrayed,  from  A.-S.  dihtan  =to  dispose, 
arrange,  derived  from  Lat.  dictare. 

46.    St  George's  red  cross]    The  sign  of  an  English  raid. 

49.  Scroop,  or  Howard,  or  Percy's  powers]  Three  power- 
ful northern  English  families.  The  Scropes  were  descended  from 
the  judge  sir  Henry  le  Scrope  (d.  1336),  whose  elder  son  Henry 
founded  the  line  of  Scrope  of  Masham,  while  a  younger  son 
Geoffrey  founded  that  of  Scrope  of  Bolton  in  Wensleydale. 
Henry,  ninth  lord  Scrope  of  Bolton,  is  famous  as  the  warden  of 
the  marches  who  suppressed  the  Rising  of  the  North  in  1569:  he 
was  governor  of  'merry  Carhsle'  (1.  51),  the  key  ta  the  western 
border,  1562-92.  William  Howard,  third  son  of  Thomas,  fourth 
duke  of  Norfolk,  obtained  Naworth  castle  and  the  Dacre  lord- 
ships in  Cumberland  by  his  marriage  with  EUzabeth  Dacre  in 
1577:  his  great-grandson  Charles  was  created  earl  of  Carhsle  in 
1 66 1,  and  his  descendants  still  own  Naworth,  on  the  left  bank  of 
the  small  river  Irthing.  The  Percys,  earls  of  Northumberland,  had 
their  chief  strongholds  at  Alnwick  and  at  Warkworth  on  the 


9  NOTES  105 

Coquet.  Although  Scott  sets  his  story  about  the  year  1553,  he 
was  here  as  elsewhere  more  careful  to  give  it  picturesque  colouring 
and  atmosphere  than  strict  accuracy.  In  1553  none  of  the  three 
families  mentioned  were  playing  a  prominent  part  in  border  war- 
fare; and  the  connexion  of  the  Howards  with  Naworth  did  not 
begin  till  the  marriage  in  1577.  Nevertheless,  lord  William 
Howard,  known  as  'belted  Will,'  appears  in  The  Lay  of  the  Last 
Minstrel  as  joint  warden  of  the  marches. 

51.  merry]  A  conventional  ballad  epithet  applied  to  the 
city. 

58.  Lord  Walter]  Sir  Walter  Scott  of  Buccleuch  was  killed 
in  the  streets  of  Edinburgh  by  his  enemies,  the  Kerrs,  in  1552. 
The  Kerrs,  whose  domains  in  Teviotdale  were  adjacent  to  those 
of  the  Scotts,  had  taken  part  with  the  Douglases  in  the  battle  of 
Melrose  (1526)  against  sir  Walter  and  his  followers,  whom 
James  V  had  secretly  summoned  to  deliver  him  from  the  control 
of  his  step-father  and  guardian,  Archibald  Douglas,  earl  of  Angus. 
The  victory  remained  with  Angus,  but  Kerr  of  Cessford,  hotly 
pursuing  the  defeated  force  of  Buccleuch,  was  killed  by  a  man 
named  Elliot.  The  feud  between  the  Scotts  and  Kerrs,  which 
thus  arose,  lasted  for  many  years  afterwards:  Scott  mentions 
that  it  gave  rise  to  apprehensions  as  late  as  1596. 

61.  Dunedin]  The  old  name  of  Edinburgh  (Edwin's  burgh). 
The  foundation  of  Edinburgh  is  attributed  to  Edwin,  king  of 
Northumbria  (d.  633),  who  founded  a  small  fortified  outpost 
there,  upon  the  northern  frontier  of  his  kingdom.  Dunedin  is  thus 
said  to  mean  Edwin's  hill  or  fort;  but  '  -edin'  by  itself  is  probably 
the  Celtic  eiddyn,  i.e.  high  hill  or  fort. 

63.  slogan]  The  war-cry  of  a  Scottish  clan.  The  word  is  of 
Highland  origin,  from  Gael,  sluaghgairm,  literally  'host-shout.' 

69.  each  holy  shrine]  Scott  printed  in  Minstrelsy  of  the 
Scottish  Border,  vol.  i,  an  agreement  entered  into  by  the  Scotts 
and  Kerrs  in  1529,  three  years  after  the  battle  of  Melrose,  to 
undertake  a  series  of  pilgrimages  to  the  four  chief  shrines  of 
Scotland,  at  which  each  party  should  pray  for  the  souls  of  its 
slain  enemies. 


I06  NOTES  pp.  9- 

73.  Cessford]  The  two  chief  branches  of  the  Kerrs  or  Carrs 
were  seated  at  Cessford  in  the  parish  of  Morebattle,  between  the 
Cheviots  and  Kelso,  and  at  Ferniehirst  in  the  Jed  valley,  two 
miles  above  Jedburgh.  From  sir  Robert  Kerr  of  Cessford,  created 
earl  of  Roxburghe  and  baron  Ker  of  Cessford  and  Caverstoun  in 
1616,  the  dukes  of  Roxburghe,  whose  second  title  is  '  marquess  of 
Bowmont  and  Cessford,'  are  descended;  while  the  marquesses  of 
Lothian  take  their  origin  from  the  Ferniehirst  branch,  the  earl- 
dom of  Lothian  having  been  originally  created  in  favour  of  Mark 
Kerr  in  1606. 

74.  Ettrick]  See  note  on  1.  23  ab6ve.  Ettrick  forest  is  the 
hill  district  west  of  Selkirk.  The  Ettrick  water  joins  Yarrow  water 
not  far  above  Selkirk,  where  the  Yarrow  joins  the  Tweed. 

II.    Melrose  by  moonlight 

From  canto  11,  stt.  viii-xi.  The  'monk  of  St  Mary's  aisle,'  who 
is  charged  with  the  secret  of  the  tomb  of  Michael  Scott,  conducts 
William  of  Deloraine  into  the  abbey-church  at  dead  of  night  to 
open  the  tomb  and  extract  the  magic  book.  Scott's  cavalier 
treatment  of  history  in  the  interests  of  romance  is  shewn  by  his 
making  the  monk  of  St  Mary's  aisle  the  friend  and  confidant  of 
the  philosopher-magician  Michael  Scott,  who  died  about  three 
centuries  before  and  is  placed  by  Dante  among  the  soothsayers 
in  Inferno,  xx,  11 5-1 17. 

4.  the  cloister-arches]  The  remains  of  the  wall-arcades  of 
the  cloister  at  Melrose,  built  about  the  end  of  the  fourteenth 
century,  are  decorated  with  a  great  variety  of  sculptured  foliage, 
carved  in  the  hard  red  sandstone  of  the  locality,  of  which  the 
abbey  was  built,  and  hardly  affected  by  exposure  to  the  weather. 
The  abbey  was  founded  upon  its  present  site  by  king  David  I  in 
1 136  for  a  colony  of  Cistercian  monks  from  Rievaulx  in  York- 
shire. It  suffered  greatly  in  the  border  wars  and  was  entirely 
rebuilt  in  the  last  quarter  of  the  fourteenth  and  during  the 
fifteenth  centuries,  a  period  when  Scottish  architecture  was  re- 
markable for  the  richness  and  beauty  of  its  ornament. 

7.    the  streamers  light]    The  Aurora  Borealis. 


10  NOTES  107 

9.  in  fair  Castile]  We  are  told  in  st.  vii  that  the  monk  had 
been  a  warrior  in  his  youth  'and  fought  in  Spain  and  Italy.' 
Scott's  note  on  this  passage  quotes  Froissart  to  illustrate  the  skill 
of  the  Spanish  knights  in  fighting  on  horseback  with  darts,  an 
art  learned  from  the  Moors  and  practised  in  the  game  called  el 
juego  de  las  canas,  i.e.  dart-play. 

II.  jennet]  The  small  horse  used  by  the  Spanish  light 
cavalry.  Sp.  jinete,  probably  of  Arabic  origin —a  horseman:  the 
word  'jennet'  (Fr.  genet)  was  applied  from  the  man  to  his  char- 
acteristic steed. 

15.  postern-door]  The  principal  doorway  by  which  the 
church  at  Melrose  was  entered  from  the  cloister  remains  in  the 
north  aisle  of  the  nave  of  the  abbey-church,  as  is  usual  in  monastic 
buildings.  Scott  imagines  the  monk  to  live  by  himself  in  a  separate 
cell:  this  was  not  unusual  towards  the  end  of  the  middle  ages, 
but  Cistercian  monks,  like  those  of  other  religious  orders,  the 
Carthusians  excepted,  slept  in  the  common  dormitory  or  dorter 
on  the  upper  floor  of  the  range  of  buildings  adjoining  the  church, 
and  their  only  way  into  church  by  night  was  by  an  upper  doorway 
and  stair  communicating  with  the  north  transept. 

17.  The  darken'd  roof]  The  church  was  vaulted  throughout 
in  stone.  Some  of  the  vaulting  still  remains  in  the  aisles,  and  a 
large  number  of  bosses  and  key-stones,  such  as  are  described  by 
Scott,  remain  among  the  ruins.  The  church  was  ruined  during 
the  Scottish  reformation:  in  1618  the  middle  portion  was  turned 
into  a  Presbyterian  church  and  roofed  over  with  a  heavy  vault 
which  still  remains. 

19.  each  ribb6d  aisle]  Each  bay  or  division  of  the  vault 
was,  according  to  the  medieval  practice,  built  on  a  framework  of 
arches  or  ribs,  the  two  ribs  which  crossed  the  compartment  diagon- 
ally and  bore  the  main  weight  of  the  vault  meeting  in  a  carved 
keystone  common  to  both.  '  Aisle '=  an  alley  or  passage,  usually 
applied  to  the  lateral  portions  of  a  church  on  each  side  of  its 
broad  main  divisions. 

20.  quatre-feuille]  A  four-leaved  ornament,  imitated  from 
foliage.    At  Melrose  the  favourite  form  of  foliage  used  by  the 


io8  NOTES  pp.  10- 

masons  was  the  curly  kale,  frequently  imitated  in  Scottish  build- 
ings. 

21.  corbells]  Projecting  bracket-like  ornaments  (Fr.  cor- 
beille  =  a  basket)  used  as  terminations  to  vaulting-shafts,  or  sup- 
ports for  arches,  statues  or  the  timbers  of  a  roof.  They  are  often 
carved  in  the  shape  of  grotesque  heads. 

25.  scutcheon]  Shield  (Fr.  Scusson).  Scott  refers  to  the 
armour,  used  as  part  of  the  trappings  of  a  knight's  funeral  and 
afterwards  hung  up  over  his  tomb,  like  the  Black  prince's  funeral- 
armour  at  Canterbury. 

30,  31.  The  'gallant  Chief  of  Otterburne'  was  James,  second 
earl  of  Douglas,  who  was  killed  in  the  battle  of  Otterburn  in 
Northumberland,  15  August,  1388.  The  Scots  defeated  Henry 
Percy,  called  'Hotspur,'  the  son  of  the  first  earl  of  Northumber- 
land, but  Douglas  died  before  the  battle  was  won.  The  '  dark 
knight  of  Liddesdale'  was  sir  William  Douglas,  known  as  'the 
flower  of  chivalry,'  whose  stronghold  was  Hermitage  castle  on  a 
tributary  of  the  Liddel,  which  flows  down  Liddesdale  to  join  the 
Esk  on  the  English  border  near  Longtown.  The  epithet  '  dark '  is 
applied  to  him  on  account  of  his  treacherous  murder  by  starvation 
of  sir  Alexander  Ramsay  of  Dalhousie,  to  whom  David  II  had 
granted  the  wardenship  of  Roxburgh  castle,  an  office  actually 
held  by  Douglas.  He,  in  his  turn,  was  murdered  in  Ettrick  forest 
in  1353  by  his  kinsman  William,  first  earl  of  Douglas,  the  father 
of  the  victor  of  Otterburn.  Both  the  persons  alluded  to  were 
buried  in  Melrose  abbey,  near  the  high  altar;  but  their  tombs 
had  been  desecrated  by  the  English  under  lord  Eure  and  sir 
Brian  Layton  in  February  1544-5,  some  seven  to  eight  years 
before  the  date  of  this  story.  Eure  and  Layton  both  perished 
two  days  later  at  the  battle  of  Ancrum  moor,  and  Eure's  and 
probably  Layton's  bodies  were  brought  back  to  Melrose  for 
burial. 

34.  the  east  oriel]  The  east  window  of  the  abbey-church,  of 
which  the  broken  tracery  remains.  The  word  'oriel'  is  usually 
applied  to  a  window  of  polygonal  form,  and,  in  its  primary  use, 
to  such  a  window  projecting  upon  corbels  or  brackets  from  an 


12  NOTES  109 

upper  story,  which  in  neither  respect  suits  the  present  case. 
Scott's  description  of  the  tracery  was  influenced  by  the  fantastic 
theories  of  his  friend  sir  James  Hail  of  Dunglas,  who  attempted 
to  derive  window-tracery  from  'an  architectural  imitation  of 
wicker-work.'  Such  tracery  is  actually  one  result  of  the  scientific 
lightening  and  distribution  of  pressure  of  the  stone  roof,  which 
enabled  the  construction  of  large  window-openings  filled  with  a 
thin  framework  of  stone  in  the  spaces  between  the  points,  at 
regular  intervals,  to  which  the  vault-ribs  communicated  the 
pressure. 

46.  Triumphant  Michael]  Scott's  description  of  the  win- 
dow-glass is  imaginary,  and  the  figure  of  St  Michael  is  introduced, 
as  is  shewn  in  the  sequel,  that  his  red  cross  may  cast  its  light  on 
the  grave  of  Michael  Scott.  In  medieval  churches,  the  repre- 
sentation of  St  Michael,  at  any  rate  'full  in  the  midst,'  was 
seldom  found  in  an  east  window:  it  occupied  the  middle  of  the 
lower  part  of  the  west  window,  which  was  very  commonly  a 
picture  of  the  Last  Judgment.  The  red  cross  also  is  not  an  attri- 
bute of  St  Michael,  to  whom  Scott  here  has  transferred  the  proper 
attribute  of  St  George,  the  horseman  trampling  on  the  dragon. 
St  Michael  is  usually  represented  standing  upon  the  arch-enemy, 
whom  he  transfixes  with  his  lance,  while  he  holds  in  his  left  hand 
the  balance  for  weighing  souls. 

III.    The  Bale-Fire 

From  canto  in,  stt.  xxix,  xxx.  The  bale-fire  (bale=O.E.  bcBl, 
which  means  a  great  fire,  commonly  applied  to  funeral  pyres) 
has  been  lighted  on  the  beacons  between  Branxholm  and  the 
English  border,  warning  the  Scots  of  the  raid  from  Cumberland, 
and  the  seneschal  or  steward  of  the  castle  has  ordered  Gilbert  the 
page  to  light  the  castle-beacon. 

2.  need-fire]  The  beacon,  lighted  as  need  required;  strictly, 
in  the  modern  sense,  a  fire  lighted  by  rubbing  dry  pieces  of  wood 
together,  i.e.,  in  cases  of  necessity,  where  other  means  are  absent. 

13.  tarn]    A  small  mountain-lake,  from  old  Norse  tjorn. 

14.  earn]    The  erne  or  golden  eagle  (O.E.  earn). 


110  NOTES  pp.  12- 

15.  cairn]  A  loose  pile  of  stones  on  the  top  of  a  hill,  tradition- 
ally supposed,  like  the  cairn  of  Dunmail  raise,  between  Ambleside 
and  Keswick,  to  mark  the  burial-place  of  chieftains. 

17.  Dunedin]    See  note  on  1.  61,  p.  105  above. 

18.  Soltra  and  Dumpender  Law]  Soltra  =  Soutra  hill,  the 
most  westerly  of  the  Lammermuir  hills,  about  15  miles  S.E.  of 
Edinburgh.  Dumpender,  now  known  as  Traprain,  Law  (law  = 
O.K.  hlaew,  a  small  hill),  is  an  isolated  hill  between  Haddington 
and  Dunbar,  about  20  miles  E.  of  Edinburgh. 

19.  Lothian]  The  district  south  of  the  firth  of  Forth,  com- 
prising the  three  shires  of  Linlithgow,  Edinburgh  and  Hadding- 
ton, known  respectively  as  West,  Mid  and  East  Lothian. 

th.e  Regent]  In  1552-3  the  regent  of  Scotland  for  the  young 
queen  Mary,  then  in  France,  was  James  Hamilton,  second  earl  of 
Arran  and  duke  of  Chatelherault,  who  had  been  made  regent  in 
1542.  He  abdicated  the  regency  in  1554,  when  it  was  assumed  by 
the  queen-mother  Mary  of  Guise. 

20.  bo'wne  them]  Prepare  themselves,  a  verb  formed  from 
the  old  adjective  'bown'  =  ready. 

24.    larum]    Alarm. 

27.  keep]  The  principal  tower  of  a  castle,  usually  called  in 
the  middle  ages  the  'great  tower,'  which  was  provided  with 
special  defences,  so  as  to  hold  out  upon  its  own  account,  in  case 
the  rest  of  the  castle  were  taken.  The  word  'keep'  in  this  sense  is 
comparatively  modern  and  was  unknown  in  the  age  when  castles 
played  their  part  in  warfare.  After  the  middle  of  the  thirteenth 
century,  owing  to  improvements  in  the  defence  of  the  outer  walls 
of  castles,  the  keep  disappeared  or  became  merely  the  most 
prominent  of  many  towers;  but  in  the  north  it  survived  for  long 
in  the  form  of  the  tower  generally  attached  to  the  'pele'  or 
fortified  enclosure,  and  there  are  fine  late  examples  in  other  parts 
of  England,  notably  in  the  eastern  midlands. 

30.  -ward]  The  open  space  within  the  walls  of  a  castle,  known 
in  early  times  as  the  bailey  (ballium  =  stockaded  enclosure) . 
Larger  castles  were  divided  into  more  than  one  ward  by  inner 
walls  or  gatehouses.  Thus  at  Windsor  castle  the  lower  or  entrance 


15  NOTES  III 

ward,  in  which  is  St  George's  chapel,  is  divided  from  the  upper 
ward,  in  which  is  the  royal  palace,  by  the  mount  or  artificial 
hillock  on  which  stands  the  keep  or  Round  tower;  and  by  the 
narrow  middle  ward,  forming  the  means  of  access  from  the  lower 
to  the  upper. 

32.  ban-dog]  Mastiff,  properly  band-dog,  from  the  band, 
chain  or  leash  in  which  it  was  held. 

IV.    Caledonia 

From  canto  vi,  stt.  i,  ii.  These  introductory  lines,  full  of  Scott's 
passionate  love  for  his  native  country,  are  the  prelude  to  the 
concluding  portion  of  the  minstrel's  story.  They  are  spoken,  of 
course,  in  the  person  of  the  minstrel,  the  last  survivor  of  a  bygone 
age  of  song. 

17.  Caledonia]  The  Latin  name  for  Scotland,  said  to  be 
derived  from  the  Celtic  name  of  its  early  inhabitants,  the  coill- 
duinnhe,  or  men  of  the  woods. 

30.  Yarrow's  stream]  The  Yarrow  joins  the  Tweed  near 
Selkirk.  Wordsworth  made  it  the  subject  of  three  poems,  the 
first  and  most  beautiful  of  which.  Yarrow  Unvisited,  had  been 
written  in  1803,  before  the  appearance  of  The  Lay  of  the  Last 
Minstrel.    See  Selections  from  Wordsworth,  pp.  131,  150. 

32.    Ettrick]    See  note  on  1.  74,  p.  106  above. 

34.    Teviot  Stone]    See  note  on  1.  14,  p.  103  above. 

V.    The  Song  of  Albert  Gr^me 

From  canto  vi,  stt.  xi,  xii.  The  song  sung  at  the  betrothal 
feast  of  Cranstoun  and  Margaret  Scott  by  the  minstrel  of  the 
Grimes  or  Grahams,  a  branch  of  which  family  was  settled  in  the 
'Debateable  land,'  the  strip  of  country  between  the  rivers  Esk 
and  Sark,  north  of  Carlisle,  in  which  was  fought  in  1542  the  battle 
of  Solway  moss.  Scott  adapted  the  refrains  of  his  ballad  from  an 
old  Scottish  song  of  which  the  refrains  were  '  The  sun  shines  fair 
on  Carlisle  wa' '  and  '  And  the  lyon  shall  be  lord  of  a'.' 

17.    she  had.  not  tasted  well]    I.e.  she  had  hardly  tasted. 

25.    he  took  the  cross  divine]    He  became  a  crusader. 


112  NOTES  pp.  15- 

VI.    Harold's  Song 

From  canto  vi,  xxiii.  The  singer  of  this  ballad  at  the  betrothal- 
feast  is  Harold,  the  bard  of  the  house  of  Sinclair  (St  Clair). 
Scott  makes  Harold  a  native  of  the  Orkney  isles.  The  Sinclairs 
obtained  the  earldom  of  Orkney  from  the  crown  of  Norway  in 
1379.  Sir  William  Sinclair,  the  third  earl,  was  created  earl  of 
Caithness  by  James  II  of  Scotland  in  1455,  and  in  1471  exchanged 
the  earldom  of  Orkney  with  James  III  for  estates  in  Fife,  of 
which  Ravensheuch  (1.  7),  now  called  Ravenscraig,  castle,  formed 
the  chief  member.  The  castle  stands  on  the  north  shore  of  the 
firth  of  Forth  (1.  8),  close  to  Pathhead,  between  the  royal  burghs 
of  Kirkcaldy  and  Dysart:  the  name  of  its  owners  is  preserved 
in  an  adjoining  place  called  Sinclairtown.  Rosslyn,  eight  miles 
south  of  Edinburgh,  belonged  to  the  Sinclairs,  who  were  of 
Norman  origin,  from  an  early  period.  The  castle,  on  a  rock  above 
the  North  Esk  river  (1.  29),  was  rebuilt  in  the  first  half  of  the 
fourteenth  century.  The  famous  collegiate  church  of  St  Matthew, 
known  as  Rosslyn  chapel  (1.  33),  was  begun  in  1446  by  the  third 
earl  of  Orkney,  and  continued  by  his  son  William,  the  second 
earl  of  Caithness:  the  quire  alone  was  built,  a  transept  being 
begun  but  left  unfinished.  At  the  supposed  date  of  Scott's  story, 
the  head  of  the  house  of  Sinclair  was  George,  fourth  earl  of 
Caithness  (d.  1582). 

4.  Rosabelle]  The  name  was  common  in  the  Sinclair  family. 
It  was  derived  from  Rosabel,  daughter  of  Malise,  earl  of  Strath- 
earn,  who  married  one  of  the  early  lords  of  Rosslyn. 

II.  the  Water-Sprite]  For  the  personification  of  water- 
spirits,  see  note  on  1.  129,  p.  174  below.  Cf.  the  White  Lady's  song 
in  The  Monastery,  ch.  v,  11.  23,  24: 

The  Kelpy  has  risen  from  his  fathomless  pool. 
He  has  lighted  his  candle  of  death  and  of  dool. 

13.  the  gifted  Seer]  Cf.  the  allusions  to  the  second  sight 
with  which  Scottish  seers  were  traditionally  gifted  in  note  on 
1.  42,  p.  170  below. 


17  NOTES  113 

17.  Lord  Lindesay's  heir]  The  persons  of  this  poem  belong 
to  Scott's  imagination.  Sir  John  Lindsay,  ancestor  of  the  Scottish 
earls  of  Lindsay,  was  created  lord  Lindsay  of  the  Byers  in  1445: 
the  family  was  a  younger  branch  of  the  house  of  Lindsay,  the 
elder  branch  being  that  of  the  earls  of  Crawford,  a  title  obtained 
in  1398. 

26.  A  ■wondrous  blaze]  Scott  notes  the  tradition  that 
Rosslyn  chapel  '  is  said  to  appear  on  fire  on  the  death '  of  any  of 
the  founder's  descendants,  and  traces  it  to  a  probably  Scan- 
dinavian origin,  from  which  it  '  may  have  been  imported  by  the 
Earls  of  Orkney  into  their  Lothian  dominions.' 

31.  Dryden]    Dryden  park  lies  north  of  Rosslyn. 

32.  cavern 'd  Hawthornden]  Hawthornden  is  north-east  of 
Rosslyn,  upon  the  right  bank  of  the  North  Esk  (see  note  on  1.  46, 
p.  98  above).  The  house,  famous  as  the  residence  of  the  poet 
William  Drummond  (i  585-1 649),  is  on  the  edge  of  a  red  sandstone 
cliff,  hollowed  out  into  caves,  above  the  river. 

34.  uncoflfin'd]  The  Sinclairs  were  buried  in  their  armour  in 
the  vault  at  the  east  end  of  Rosslyn  chapel.  The  Memoirs  of  John, 
master  of  St  Clair,  quoted  by  Scott,  state  that  his  father,  who 
died  late  in  the  seventeenth  century,  was  the  first  of  the  family 
to  be  buried  in  a  coffin. 

38.  altar's  pale]   The  screened  enclosure  surrounding  an  altar. 

39.  foliage-bound]  Scott  alludes  to  '  the  profuse  carving  on 
the  pillars  and  buttresses'  of  Rosslyn  chapel,  and  especially  to 
the  '  Prentice  pillar, '  which  is  carved  with  a  spiral  band  of  flowers 
and  leaves,  surrounding  it  from  capital  to  base. 

42.  rose-carv'd]  The  rose,  in  the  sculptures  of  the  chapel, 
alludes  to  the  supposed  derivation  of  the  name  of  Rosslyn.  The 
word,  however,  is  actually  Celtic,  and  means  '  the  promontory  of 
the  linn'  [linnhe  =  waterfall  or  rapids). 

VII.    Hymn  for  the  Dead 

From  canto  vi,  xxxi.  This  imposing  hymn,  much  of  the  effect 
of  which  is  due  to  the  solemn  monotony  of  its  rhymes,  concludes 
the  minstrel's  story,  and  is  sung  at  a  mass  for  the  dead  in  Melrose 

T  s.  8 


114  NOTES  pp.  17- 

abbey.  The  theme  is  derived  from  the  famous  hymn,  Dies  irae, 
dies  ilia,  attributed  to  the  Franciscan  friar,  Thomas  of  Celano, 
the  friend  and  biographer  of  St  Francis,  whicli  is  sung  at  a 
requiem  mass  as  the  sequence  before  the  gospel  is  read.  It  was 
justly  appreciated  by  Scott,  who  (Lockhart,  Life  of  Scott,  oh. 
Ixxxiii)  always  delighted  in  'the  magnificent  hymns'  of  the 
medieval  church:  on  his  death-bed  he  lay  murmuring  some  of 
them  to  himself,  and  '  we  very  often  heard  distinctly  the  cadence 
of  the  Dies  Irae.'  The  present  hymn  sums  up  briefly  the  general 
spirit  of  the  original,  without  translating  it  or  reproducing  its 
form,  and  11.  5,  6  have  no  counterpart  in  the  Latin.  Scott's  power, 
however,  in  reproducing  phrases  and  imagery,  may  be  estimated 
by  comparing  11.  7,  8  with  the  third  stanza  of  Dies  irae, 

Tuba  mirum  spargens  sonum 

Per  sepulchra  regionum 

Coget  omnes  ante  thronum. 
The  first  line  occurs  in  the  form  '  The  day  of  wrath,  that  dreadful 
day '  in  the  translation  of  Dies  irae  by  Wentworth  Dillon,  earl  of 
Roscommon  (d.  1685). 

EXTRACTS  FROM  MARMION 

Marmion :  a  tale  of  Flodden  Field,  Scott's  second  narrative  in 

verse,    was   published   in    1808   and   dedicated   to   Henry,    lord 

Montagu  of  Boughton,  second  son  of  Henry,  third  duke  of  Buc- 

cleuch.    Each  of  the  six  cantos  is  prefixed  by  a  long  dedicatory 

poem,  each  of  which  is  addressed  to  one  of  Scott's  antiquarian 

friends.  The  greater  part  of  the  poem  was  composed  at  Ashestiel 

in  Ettrick  forest,  Scott's  country  home  from  the  summer  of  1804 

until  his  removal  to  Abbotsford  in  181 2. 

The  defeat  and  death  of  James  IV  of  Scotland  at  Flodden 

(1513),  in  conflict  with  the  English  army  led  by  Thomas  Howard, 

earl  of  Surrey  and  afterwards  third  duke  of  Norfolk,  form  the 

historical  basis  of  the  poem,  which  is  otherwise  pure  romance. 

The  name  of  Marmion, 

Lord  of  Fontenaye, 

Of  Lutterward,  and  Scrivelbaye, 

Of  Tamworth  tower  and  town. 


l8  NOTES  115 

was  probably  selected  by  Scott  for  its  chivalrous  sound,  and  he  was 
'  entirely  a  fictitious  personage.'  He  says:  '  I  have.  .  .not  created 
a  new  family,  but  only  revived  the  titles  of  an  old  one  in  an 
imaginary  personage.'  The  family  of  Marmion  (usually  spelt  in 
English  Marmyun)  came  from  Fontenay-le-Marmion  (Calvados), 
between  Caen  and  Falaise.  Robert  Marmion  obtained  the  lord- 
ship of  Tamworth,  Staffs.,  and  the  manor  of  Scrivelsby,  Lines., 
from  the  Conqueror;  but  his  male  line  died  out  with  Philip 
Marmion,  who  died  in  1291-2.  Lutterward,  i.e.  Lutterworth, 
Leics.,  never  belonged  to  the  Marmions:  Scott  seems  to  have 
included  it  because  it  was  part  of  the  possessions  of  the  family  of 
Ferrers,  who  succeeded  in  process  of  time  to  the  lordship  of 
Tamworth.  At  the  time  of  Flodden,  however,  Tamworth  be- 
longed to  the  Ferrers  family,  Scrivelsby  to  the  Dymokes,  and 
Lutterworth  had  passed  from  the  house  of  Ferrers  to  that  of 
Grey. 

Canto  I,  The  Castle,  describes  the  visit  of  Marmion  to  Norham 
castle,  on  his  way  to  the  court  of  Scotland,  where  he  is  charged 
with  an  embassy  to  learn  the  meaning  of  James  IV's  warlike 
preparations.  He  departs  under  guidance  of  a  Palmer  or  pilgrim, 
who  is  undertaking  a  journey  to  the  shrines  of  Scotland.  The 
change  of  scene  in  canto  11,  The  Convent,  has  been  prepared  for 
by  the  questions  of  the  constable  of  Norham  as  to  the  absence 
of  a  page  of  Marmion's  from  his  company.  "When  Marmion  leaves 
Norham,  a  ship  is  on  its  way  from  Whitby  to  Lindisfarne,  con- 
veying the  abbess  of  Whitby  and  her  nuns  on  a  visit.  The  abbess 
here  sits  in  judgment  with  the  abbot  of  Lindisfarne  and  the 
prioress  of  Tynemouth  upon  an  apostate  nun  and  monk.  The  nun, 
Constance  de  Beverley,  disguised  in  a  page's  dress,  has  left  her 
monastery  for  love  of  Marmion  and  has  been  deserted  by  him  for 
the  heiress  Clare,  a  ward  of  the  Crown,  whom  he  woos  for  her 
lands.  Constance  tells  how  Marmion  accused  Clare's  betrothed 
lover,  De  Wilton,  of  treason,  and  overthrew  him  in  single  combat, 
and  produces  a  packet  of  letters  to  prove  Marmion's  guilt. 
Clare,  meanwhile,  had  taken  refuge  at  Whitby  from  the  king's 
attempt  to  force  her  marriage  with  Marmion,  and  is  actually  at 

8—2 


Il6  NOTES  p. 

Lindisfarne  with  the  abbess.  Constance  confesses  that  she  had 
attempted  to  poison  Clare  with  the  aid  of  the  'caitiff  monk.' 
The  two  criminals  are  walled  up  alive,  Constance  using  her  last 
opportunity  of  speech  in  prophesying  the  doom  of  the  monasteries. 

Although  it  is  necessary  to  the  progress  of  the  story  and  con- 
tains much  fine  poetry,  canto  ii  is  a  serious  blot  upon  the  poem. 
Its  personages  and  incidents  are  not  merely  imaginary,  but  en- 
tirely false  to  the  history  of  the  times ;  and  Scott,  instead  of  pro- 
ducing a  picture  which  is  generally  true  of  the  period  of  which  he 
wrote,  chose  to  rely  entirely  upon  his  fancy,  with  a  result  that 
to  the  ordinary  reader  of  the  poem  is  misleading,  and  to  anyone 
who  is  acquainted  with  the  general  subject  is  merely  grotesque. 

In  canto  iii,  The  Hostel,  or  Inn,  Marmion  continues  his  journey. 
At  Gifford,  near  Haddington,  he  spends  the  night  in  an  inn, 
where  his  conscience  is  stung  by  the  page  Fitz-Eustace's  rendering 
of  Constance's  favourite  song.  As  this  lay  of  forsaken  love  ends, 
Marmion  seems  to  hear  a  passing-bell  and,  asking  what  this  may 
mean,  is  answered  by  the  Palmer,  who  hitherto  has  not  broken 
silence,  with  the  ominous  words,  'The  death  of  a  dear  friend.' 
The  Host  then  tells  the  local  legend  of  the  combat  of  Alexander  III 
of  Scotland  in  an  enchanted  Pictish  earthwork  with  a  spirit  in 
the  form  of  Edward  I,  in  which  he  compelled  his  foe  to  shew  him 
visions  of  the  future,  but  received  a  wound  which  bled  yearly  on 
the  anniversary  of  the  fight.  Marmion's  superstition  is  aroused 
by  this  story.  At  dead  of  night  he  visits  the  Pictish  camp,  and 
Fitz-Eustace,  awaiting  his  return,  sees  him  ride  back  headlong 
and  is  mystified  by  the  discovery  that  he  has  had  a  fall  on  the 
moor.  Canto  iv,  The  Camp,  opens  with  the  mysterious  illness  of 
Marmion's  horse,  Bevis,  in  the  inn  stable.  Marmion  affects  to 
disregard  the  tale  that  the  horse  has  been  fairy-ridden  and  pro- 
ceeds on  his  way  until,  on  the  banks  of  the  Tyne,  he  meets  sir 
David  Lindsay,  Lyon  king-at-arms,  who  conducts  him  to  Crichton 
castle,  the  place  chosen  by  James  IV  for  his  entertainment.  Here 
sir  David  tells  him  the  story  of  the  Scottish  king's  recent  vision 
of  St  John,  and  Marmion  confides  to  him  the  secret  of  his  adven- 
ture in  the  Pictish  camp  at  Gifford,  relating  how  he  has  encoun- 


1 8  NOTES  117 

tered  and  been  overthrown  by  a  fairy  knight  in  the  appearance 
of  his  mortal  enemy,  whose  name  we  know  to  be  De  Wilton. 
From  Crichton  they  journey  towards  Edinburgh,  and,  from  the 
brow  of  Blackford  hill,  see  the  whole  host  of  Scotland  encamped 
upon  the  plain  south  of  the  city.  In  canto  v.  The  Court,  they 
pass  through  the  camp  and  meet  the  king  at  Holyrood  palace. 
Here  James  declares  his  intention  of  invading  England,  and 
announces  that  he  is  going  to  send  Marmion  under  the  escort  of 
Archibald  Douglas,  earl  of  Angus,  to  Tantallon  castle,  together 
with  a  company  of  English  nuns  who  have  been  captured  at  sea 
and  are  to  be  sent  back  to  England  in  Marmion's  charge.  These 
nuns  are,  of  course,  the  nuns  from  Whitby,  among  whom  is  Clare. 
The  abbess  contrives  to  meet  the  Palmer  at  night  and  entrusts 
to  him  the  packet  of  letters  which  prove  that  the  papers  alleged 
to  be  evidence  of  De  Wilton's  treason  had  been  forged  by  Con- 
stance. At  the  end  of  their  meeting,  they  see  a  vision  of  a  phantom 
proclamation  at  the  High  cross  of  Edinburgh,  summoning  the 
future  victims  of  Flodden  to  their  doom  beyond  the  grave. 
Next  morning,  the  party  goes  to  Tantallon;  but  before  arriving 
there,  Clare  is  separated  from  the  rest  of  the  nuns,  to  be  con- 
signed to  the  care  of  lady  Angus  before  returning  to  her  home  in 
England.  While  they  remain  at  Tantallon,  news  comes  that 
James  has  taken  Norham  and  other  Border  castles  and  that 
battle  is  imminent. 

The  last  canto,  The  Battle,  opens  at  Tantallon.  Here  the  Palmer, 
who  is  of  course  De  Wilton,  tells  the  story  of  Marmion's  perfidy 
to  Angus  and  asks  him  to  give  him  knighthood,  so  that  he  may 
go  to  the  English  camp  and  demand  justice.  This  he  relates  to 
Clare,  who  finds  him  one  night  on  the  battlements,  guarding  his 
armour  before  the  ceremony  of  knighthood  takes  place.  She 
attends  the  ceremony  and  arrays  him  in  the  armour,  lent  him  by 
Angus,  which  had  been  worn  by  the  earl's  ancestor  at  Otterburn 
(see  note  on  11.  30,  31,  p.  108  above).  Next  morning  Marmion,  with 
Clare  in  his  charge,  leaves  the  castle  for  the  English  army:  Angus 
refuses  to  clasp  his  hand,  and  Marmion,  defjdng  him,  narrowly 
escapes  detention  at  Tantallon.   On  his  way,  he  misses  the  Palmer 


Ii8  NOTES  pp.  i8- 

and  learns  that  he  has  ridden  away  in  armour  at  dawn :  Marmion 
realises  that  the  Palmer  is  De  Wilton  and  that  his  antagonist  at 
Gifford  was  no  phantom.  He  reaches  the  field  of  Flodden,  where 
he  leaves  Clare  in  the  care  of  his  pages  and  some  archers  on  a 
hill  by  a  stone  cross,  instructing  them  to  make  for  Berwick  in 
case  of  danger.  Here  they  watch  the  battle  until  the  Scottish 
right  wing  overpowers  the  English  and  Marmion  is  dismounted, 
when  Clare's  escort  ride  to  his  rescue  and  leave  her  alone.  Mar- 
mion, wounded  to  death,  is  brought  to  Clare,  and  dies,  tended  by 
her  and  a  monk.  De  Wilton  bears  himself  nobly  in  the  battle, 
and,  after  the  defeat  of  the  Scots,  wins  Clare's  hand,  the  wedding 
ceremony  being  performed  at  court  by  Wolsey,  in  the  presence 
of  Henry  VIII  and  Katherine  of  Aragon.  In  spite  of  Marmion's 
base  conduct,  Scott  has  some  tenderness  for  his  bravery;  but, 
with  a  final  stroke  of  retributive  justice,  he  leaves  him  to  be 
buried  in  a  nameless  grave  at  Flodden,  while  the  body  of  one  of 
his  humble  retainers  is  mistaken  for  his  and  buried  beneath  a 
splendid  tomb  in  Lichfield  cathedral. 

The  metre  throughout  is  more  regular  than  that  of  The  Lay  of 
the  Last  Minstrel,  being  in  the  main  the  octosyllabic  couplet, 
frequently  broken  by  seven-syllable  lines  which  rhyme  at  irregu- 
lar intervals.  If  it  has  not  the  full  freshness  and  picturesque 
variety  of  the  earlier  poem,  it  is  superior  to  it  in  its  vigorous 
eloquence,  and  the  magnificent  pictures  of  the  camp  at  Edinburgh, 
the  scenes  at  Tantallon  and  the  culminating  description  of  the 
battle  of  Flodden  have  made  it  the  most  popular  of  Scott's 
narratives  in  verse. 

I.    NoRHAM  Castle 

From  canto  i,  i,  ii.  Norham  castle  is  in  Northumberland,  on  a 
steep  hill  upon  the  south  bank  of  the  Tweed.  It  belonged  to  the 
bishops  of  Durham,  and  the  stone  castle,  of  which  the  ruins  re- 
main, was  begun  by  Ranulf  Flambard,  bishop  1099- 1 128.  After 
a  very  varied  history  and  much  rebuilding,  which  was  due  to  the 
constant  injury  caused  by  Scottish  attacks,  it  was  given  up  to 
the  Crown  in  1559.    It  is  six  miles  S.W.  of  Berwick-on-Tweed : 


19  NOTES  119 

the  episcopal  estates  of  which  it  formed  the  head  were  an  isolated 
portion  of  the  county  palatine  of  Durham  known  as  Norham- 
shire. 

3.  Cheviot]  The  Cheviot  hills  rise  some  twelve  miles  S.  and 
S.W.  of  Norham,  on  the  borders  of  Northumberland  and  Rox- 
burghshire. 

4.  battled]    Embattled. 

the  donjon  keep]  For  '  keep '  see  note  on  1.  27,  p.  no  above. 
The  great  tower  or  keep  was  often  called  the  donjon,  a  word 
derived  from  the  late  Latin  dunio,  which  was  applied  to  the 
moated  mount  forming  part  of  the  earthworks  of  an  early  castle. 
The  top  of  this  artificial  hillock,  as  may  be  seen  from  several 
representations  in  the  Bayeux  tapestry,  was  surrounded  by  a 
wooden  stockade,  within  which  was  built  a  tower  of  timber, 
intended  to  be  a  place  of  final  defence  in  case  the  main  area  or 
bailey  of  the  castle  was  taken.  In  process  of  time  wooden  forti- 
fications were  superseded  by  defences  of  stone,  when  the  great 
tower  of  a  castle,  whether  built  upon  a  mount  or  not,  occupied 
the  same  position  and  was  known  as  a  donjon.  In  EngUsh  the 
word  took  the  form  'dungeon,'  which  is  often  applied  to  such 
towers  and,  by  a  later  use,  was  specially  given  to  the  vaulted 
cellars  in  their  basements.  These  were  more  often  store-rooms 
than  prisons,  so  that  the  use  of  'dungeon'  as  synonymous  with 
'prison'  comes  rather  from  their  more  recent  employment  than 
from  their  original  purpose.  The  great  tower  at  Norham,  of  which 
three  sides  and  the  basement  vaults  remain,  is  said  to  have  been 
begun  by  bishop  Flambard ;  but  the  greater  portion  of  it  appears 
to  belong  to  the  age  of  bishop  Hugh  Puiset  (i  153-95)- 

14.  Saint  George's  banner]  The  banner  of  the  patron  saint 
of  England.  Norham  stood  on  the  very  edge  of  the  kingdom: 
the  opposite  bank  of  the  Tweed  is  in  Scotland. 

II.    'The  lordly  strand  of  Northumberland' 

From  canto  11,  viii,  ix.  Scott  describes  the  northward  voyage 
of  the  abbess  and  her  nuns.  The  passage  is  a  good  example  of  his 
power  of  inspiring  a  catalogue  of  names  with  poetic  interest. 


120  NOTES  pp.  19- 

Each  of  these  names  had  for  him  its  own  historical  and  romantic 
association,  which  he  contrives  to  communicate  to  his  readers. 

4.  the  nuns]  Scott  makes  his  abbess  and  nuns  come  from 
Whitby.  In  early  Saxon  times  there  was  a  monastery  at  "Whitby 
presided  over  by  the  abbess  St  Hilda;  but  the  later  abbey  of 
Whitby,  whose  ruins  remain  upon  the  clifE  above  the  town,  was  a 
monastery  of  monks  not  of  nuns. 

5.  Monk-Wearmouth]  On  the  north  bank  of  the  Wear, 
opposite  Sunderland  and  the  bishop  of  Durham's  manor  of 
Bishop- Wearmouth.  The  monastery  of  Wearmouth,  of  which  a 
large  portion  of  the  church  remains,  was  founded  in  674  by  Benet 
Biscop,  the  first  abbot.  The  story  of  its  foundation  is  told  at 
length  by  the  Venerable  Bede  in  his  Hisioria  Abhatum.  Bede  was 
a  native  of  the  place  and  spent  most  of  his  life  in  the  monastery 
of  Jarrow,  a  few  miles  away,  which  was  under  the  same  abbot. 
About  1075  the  two  monasteries  were  revived  as  cells  or  sub- 
ordinate priories  to  the  cathedral  priory  of  Durham. 

6.  Tynemouth's  priory]  The  ruins  of  Tynemouth  priory 
stand  upon  the  headland  on  the  north  side  of  the  mouth  of  the 
Tyne.  The  priory  of  St  Mary  and  St  Oswin,  probably  on  the  site 
of  a  Saxon  monastery,  was  founded  in  1074;  but,  about  1085,  it 
was  granted  by  Robert  Mowbray,  earl  of  Northumberland,  to 
the  abbot  and  convent  of  St  Albans  in  Hertfordshire,  and  from 
that  time  onwards  was  a  cell  of  that  distant  monastery.  Scott, 
whose  knowledge  of  monastic  history  was  extremely  vague, 
makes  the  same  mistake  as  in  the  case  of  Whitby  (see  note  on 
1.  4  above)  and  introduces  a  'prioress'  of  Tynemouth  into  the 
conclave  at  Holy  Island. 

8.  Seaton-Delaval]  Seaton  Delaval  hall  stands  near  the  coast, 
about  three  miles  south-west  of  Blyth.  It  was  owned  by  the  family 
of  Delaval  from  a  period  soon  after  the  Norman  conquest:  John 
Horsley,  who  married  the  heiress  of  the  Delavals  temp.  Henry  VII, 
took  the  name  of  Delaval.  The  present  hall  was  begun  in  1718  by 
admiral  George  Delaval:  the  architect  was  sir  John  Vanbrugh. 
The  main  building  was  entirely  gutted  by  fire  in  1822  and  has 
never  been  restored  for  occupation. 


20  NOTES  121 

9.  the  Blythe  and  Wansbeck  floods]  The  Blyth  river  enters 
the  sea  at  the  port  of  Blyth.  The  mouth  of  the  Wansbeck  is 
about  three  miles  higher  up  the  coast.  Both  rivers,  in  common 
with  most  of  the  streams  of  the  north-east  of  England,  run 
through  deeply  sunken  valleys  among  thick  woods.  The  town  of 
Morpeth  lies  in  a  wide  opening  of  the  Wansbeck  valley,  about 
seven  miles  above  its  mouth. 

II.  Widderington]  Widdrington  castle  is  eight  miles  north- 
east of  Morpeth,  near  Druridge  bay.  The  old  castle  was  destroyed 
towards  the  end  of  the  eighteenth  century.  The  Widdringtons 
were  a  famous  family  in  Northumbrian  ballad  lore.  The  most 
celebrated  allusion  to  them  occurs  in  Chevy  Chase : 

For  Wetharryngton  my  harte  was  wo. 

That  ever  he  slayne  shulde  be; 
For  when  both  his  leggis  wear  hewyne  in  to, 

Yet  he  knyled  and  fought  on  hys  kne. 

13.  Goquet-isle]  Opposite  the  mouth  of  the  river  Coquet. 
There  was  a  small  Benedictine  monastery  on  the  island,  a  cell 
belonging  to  Tynemouth  priory. 

15.  the  Alne]  The  mouth  of  the  Aln,  which  gives  its  name  to 
Alnwick,  is  about  four  miles  north  of  the  mouth  of  the  Coquet. 

16.  Warkworth]  See  note  on  1.  49,  p.  104  above.  Warkworth 
castle  stands  upon  a  hill  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Coquet,  round 
which  the  river  sweeps  in  a  horse-shoe  curve,  one  of  the  finest 
castle-sites  in  England.  The  small  town  is  sheltered  upon  a 
narrow  tongue  of  land  between  the  hill  and  the  river. 

20.  Dunstanborough]  The  castle  of  Dunstanburgh  is  on  a 
basaltic  promontory  between  Alnmouth  and  Bamburgh.  Its 
ruins  are  in  the  main  those  of  a  castle  built  by  Thomas,  earl  of 
Lancaster,  about  13 15.  On  the  east  side  of  the  castle  is  the  chasm 
known  as  the  Rumble  Churn,  forming  the  entrance  to  a  cavern 
beneath  the  rock:  at  high  tide  the  waves  rise  in  great  masses  of 
spray  above  the  sides  of  this  narrow  rift. 

21.  Bamborough]  The  basaltic  rock  of  Bamburgh  (Bebban- 
burh,  the  burh  or  fortified  enclosure  of  Bebba,  the  queen  of  Ida) 


122  NOTES  pp.  20- 

was  stockaded  by  Ida,  king  of  Northumbria  547-59.  and  formed 
the  capital  of  his  kingdom.  The  great  castle,  still  inhabited,  was 
founded  by  Robert  Mowbray,  earl  of  Northumberland,  in  the 
eleventh  century.  It  was  ceded  to  Henry  II  by  Malcolm,  king  of 
Scotland,  in  1157,  and  soon  afterwards  the  rectangular  great 
tower  or  keep,  which  occupies  the  highest  point  of  the  site,  was 
begun. 

26.  Holy  Island]  The  isle  of  Lindisfarne,  separated  from  the 
mainland  by  some  three  miles  of  sands,  which  are  covered  at 
high  water  (see  11.  27-34),  was  chosen  by  St  Aidan  in  634  as  the 
site  of  the  monastery  from  which  he  ruled  his  Northumbrian 
bishopric.  St  Cuthbert,  who  was  a  monk  of  Lindisfarne  664-71, 
was  bishop  of  Lindisfarne  685-7,  and  the  place  became  peculiarly 
associated  with  his  sanctity.  He  was  buried  at  Lindisfarne;  but 
his  remains  were  removed  during  the  invasions  of  the  Danes 
and,  after  their  long  wanderings  (see  notes  on  the  next  selected 
passage),  eventually  found  a  resting-place  at  Durham.  The  island 
became  a  dependency  of  the  cathedral  priory  of  Durham,  and 
the  ruins  which  remain  are  those  of  the  priory,  the  church  of 
which  was  begun  about  1093.  Scott  invents  an  abbot  of  Holy 
Island:  the  head  of  the  priory  was  a  prior  appointed  by  the 
prior  of  Durham.  The  ruins  stand  upon  low  ground  on  the  south 
shore  of  the  island;  while  the  castle  (1.  37),  a  small  fortress  built 
early  in  the  sixteenth  century  by  John  Castell,  prior  of  Durham, 
is  on  the  top  of  an  isolated  rock  called  the  Beblowe,  at  the  south- 
west corner  of  the  island. 

28.    the  Saint]    St  Cuthbert. 

30.    continent]    The  mainland. 

39.  dark-red  pile]  The  priory  ruins  are  of  the  deep  red 
sandstone  employed  also  at  Bamburgh  castle  and  in  most  of  the 
buildings  of  the  Border  district. 

III.    The  Saint  of  Holy  Island 

From  canto  11,  xiv-xvi.  For  St  Cuthbert  see  note  on  1.  26 
of  the  preceding  passage. 

I.    Saint  Cuthbert 's  daughters]    The  nuns  of  Lindisfarne. 


21  NOTES  123 

There  were,  however,  no  nuns  there.  Scott  makes  the  same  mis- 
take in  this  case  as  in  the  cases  of  Whitby  and  Tynemouth  (see 
notes  on  11.  4,  6,  p.  120  above). 

2.  these]  The  nuns  who  had  been  relating  the  glories  of 
Whitby  abbey. 

3-26.  In  875  Eardulf,  the  bishop,  and  a  remnant  of  the  clergy 
of  Lindisfarne  fled  from  the  island  during  the  devastation  of 
Northumbria  by  the  Danes,  taking  with  them  the  body  of  St 
Cuthbert  in  its  stone  cofhn.  They  wandered  for  seven  years  with 
little  rest  through  the  north  of  England  until  in  882  they  settled 
at  Chester-le-Street  (1.  20),  to  which  the  seat  of  the  bishops  of 
Lindisfarne  was  transferred.  In  995,  threatened  by  another 
Danish  invasion,  the  saint's  body  was  removed  to  Ripon.  Three 
or  four  months  later  it  was  brought  back  to  Chester-le-Street. 
The  story  was  that,  on  coming  to  a  place  called  Wardlaw,  east 
of  Durham,  the  wain  which  bore  the  cof&n  stuck  fast  and  could 
not  be  moved,  which  was  taken  as  a  sign  that  the  saint  wished 
to  find  a  new  home.  It  was  revealed  in  a  vision  to  a  monk  named 
Eadmer  that  the  appointed  place  was  called  Dunholme;  and  a 
further  legend  told  how  this  spot,  the  future  Durham,  was  dis- 
covered. Bishop  Aldhun  and  his  clergy  settled  at  Durham,  and 
St  Cuthbert  found  permanent  rest,  with  the  exception  of  one 
short  interval  (see  note  on  1.  42  below)  in  the  cathedral  priory 
church,  the  present  building  of  which  was  begun  by  the  Norman 
bishop  William  of  Saint-Calais  nearly  a  century  after  their  settle- 
ment on  the  site. 

10.  Melrose]  St  Cuthbert  had  been  a  monk  and  prior  of  the 
early  monastery  at  Melrose.  The  story  of  the  visit  to  Melrose  and 
the  miraculous  passage  of  the  coffin  down  the  Tweed  to  Tillmouth 
had  no  place  in  the  medieval  traditions  of  the  saint's  wanderings 
and  does  not  occur  earlier  than  the  eighteenth  century. 

17.  Tilmouth  cell]  A  ruined  chapel  dedicated  to  St  Cuthbert 
stands  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Till  at  its  confluence  with  the  Tweed 
between  Coldstream  and  Norham.  A  stone  coffin  was  preserved 
here,  which  gave  rise  to  the  legend  mentioned  above;  and  the 
neighbourhood  was  associated  with  the  traditions  of  the  flight 


124  NOTES  pp.  21- 

from  Lindisfarne.    In  canto  vi,  after  the  battle  of  Flodden,  Clare 

is  taken  for  safety  to 

the  chapel  fair, 

Of  Tilmouth  upon  Tweed. 

27-32.  Scott  refers  to  the  tradition  that  the  Northumbrian 
Roman  Catholics  kept  the  precise  spot  of  the  saint's  burial  a 
secret,  which  was  committed  to  only  three  persons  at  a  time. 
When  one  of  them  died,  the  two  survivors  chose  a  third  to  fill 
his  place.  The  body,  however,  was  never  removed  from  its  final 
resting-place  at  the  back  of  the  high  altar  in  Durham  cathedral : 
the  tomb  was  opened  and  the  remains  examined  in  1827,  and 
once  again  in  recent  years,  with  results  that  left  no  reason  for 
doubt. 

34.  Scotland's  dauntless  king,  and  heir]  David  I  of  Scot- 
land and  his  son  Henry,  who  were  defeated  in  1138  at  the  battle 
of  the  Standard  on  Cowton  moor,  near  Northallerton.  The  battle 
received  its  name  from  the  standards  of  St  Peter  of  York,  St 
Cuthbert  of  Durham,  St  Wilfrid  of  Ripon  and  St  John  of  Beverley, 
which  were  carried  on  waggons  in  the  middle  of  the  English  army. 

36.  GalAvegians]    Men  of  Galloway. 

37.  Lodon]    Lothian.    See  note  on  1.  19,  p.  no  above. 

41.  Alfred's  falchion]  The  chronicler  Symeon  of  Durham 
(lib.  II,  cap.  xxv)  tells  how,  while  Alfred  the  great  was  in  hiding 
in  the  marshes  of  Glastonbury,  St  Cuthbert  appeared  to  him  in  a 
vision  and  encouraged  him  to  victory  over  the  Danes. 

42.  the  Conqueror]  When  William  I  laid  waste  the  north  of 
England  in  1069,  bishop  Egelwin  fled  from  Durham  to  Lindisfarne 
with  the  saint's  body.  It  was  brought  back  to  Durham  in  March 
1070.  In  1072  the  Conqueror,  returning  from  Scotland,  came  to 
Durham  and  demanded  with  threats  to  see  the  body.  It  was  said 
that,  before  his  wish  could  be  accomplished,  he  was  seized  with 
an  intolerable  high  fever,  and,  recognising  that  he  had  incurred 
the  wrath  of  the  saint,  fled  southwards  in  hot  haste,  never  stopping 
till  he  reached  the  Tees. 

48.  The  sea-born  beads]  The  ammonites  found  among  the 
rocks  of  Lindisfarne  were  popularly   known   as   St   Cuthbert's 


25  NOTES  125 

beads,  and  their  origin  was  accounted  for  by  the  legend  mentioned 
in  the  text. 

IV.    Fitz-Eustace's  Song 

From  canto  iii,  x,  xi.  See  introd.  note,  p.  116  above,  for  the 
circumstances  in  which  the  song  is  sung.  It  comes  to  the  guilty 
Marmion  as  a  prophecy  of  disgrace: 

The  air  was  sad;  but  sadder  still 

It  fell  on  Marmion's  ear, 
And  plain'd  as  if  disgrace  and  ill, 
And  shameful  death,  were  near. 

The  phrase  Eleu  loro,  etc.,  which  comes  between  each  verse  and 
its  echoing  refrain,  represents  a  plaintive  symphony  on  the  harp 
with  which  the  page  accompanies  his  song. 

V.    Edinburgh  from  Blackford  Hill 

Canto  IV,  xxx.  This  stanza  concludes  the  description  of  Mar- 
mion's view  of  the  Scottish  army.  Blackford  hill  is  south  of 
Edinburgh,  and  the  army  was  encamped  upon  the  ground,  now 
covered  by  modern  suburbs,  between  it  and  the  ridge,  culminating 
in  the  castle  rock,  along  which  the  old  town  of  Edinburgh  is  built. 

8.  the  smoke-virreatlis]  The  smoke  of  Edinburgh,  rising 
from  the  closely  packed  houses  of  the  old  town,  gave  her  the 
familiar  name  of  'Auld  Reekie.'  So,  in  Stevenson's  Kidnapped, 
David  Balfour,  looking  northward  from  the  brow  of  the  Pent- 
lands,  saw  Edinburgh  'smoking  like  a  kiln.' 

18.  Mine  ovm  romantic  to-wn !]  The  description  culminates 
in  one  of  those  eloquent  touches  of  sincere  emotion  which  dis- 
tinguish Scott's  poetry  and  reveal  its  underlying  charm.  Cf.  the 
apostrophe  to  Edinburgh  in  the  introductory  epistle  to  canto  v : 

Stern  then,  and  steel-girt  was  thy  brow, 
Dun-Edin  !    O,  how  alter'd  now. 
When,  safe  amid  thy  mountain  court. 
Thou  sit'st,  like  Empress  at  her  sport, 
And  liberal,  unconfin'd,  and  free. 
Flinging  thy  white  arms  to  the  sea. 


126  NOTES  pp.  25- 

For  thy  dark  cloud,  with  umber'd  lower, 
That  hung  o'er  cliff,  and  lake,  and  tower, 
Thou  gleam 'st  against  the  western  ray 
Ten  thousand  lines  of  brighter  day. 

The  new  town  of  Edinburgh,  built  at  the  northern  and  seaward 
foot  of  the  ridge  which  mounts  from  Holyrood  palace  to  the 
castle,  and  separated  from  the  old  town  by  the  depression  in 
which  lay  the  lake  called  the  Nor'  loch,  was  planned  in  1767, 
four  years  before  Scott's  birth. 

20.  Ochil  mountains]  The  Ochil  hills,  some  20  miles  north- 
west of  Edinburgh  at  their  nearest  point,  rise  between  Stirling 
and  Perth  and  form  the  boundary  between  the  highlands  and 
lowlands  of  Scotland. 

23-8.  The  view  ranges  eastward  from  the  Ochils  to  the  coast 
of  Fife  on  the  north  side  of  the  firth  of  Forth,  and  then  turns  to 
the  south  side  of  the  firth.  Preston  bay  is  the  southern  curve  of 
the  firth  of  Forth,  east  of  Edinburgh,  on  which  stands  the  village 
of  Prestonpans.  Between  the  bay  and  the  open  sea  is  the  broad 
northward  projection  of  East  Lothian,  at  the  extremity  of  which, 
near  Tantallon  castle,  is  the  isolated  hill  of  North  Berwick  Law. 

33.    demi- volte]    A  half-turn  on  horseback. 

36.  The  Lindesay]  Sir  David  Lindsay,  Lyon  king-at-arms, 
famous  as  poet  and  satirist.    See  introd.  note,  p.  116  above. 

VL      LOCHINVAR 

Canto  V,  xii.  The  song  sung  by  lady  Heron  to  James  IV  and 
his  court  at  Holyrood.  Scott  notes  that  the  ballad  was  'in  a  very 
slight  degree  founded  on  a  ballad  called  "  Katharine  Janfarie," 
which  may  be  found  in  the  "Minstrelsy  of  the  Scottish  Border."' 
The  scene  of  the  ballad,  the  circumstances  of  which  are  imaginary, 
is  laid  at  Netherby,  a  seat  of  the  Grahams  or  Grammes  on  the 
Cumberland  bank  of  the  border  river  Esk,  near  Longtown. 

I .  the  Avest]  Lochinvar  is  a  small  lake  among  the  hills  in  the 
north  of  Kirkcudbrightshire,  where  on  an  island  was  a  castle 
belonging  to  the  Gordons. 


27  NOTES  N  127 

20.  the  Solway]  The  Esk  flows  into  Solway  firth  a  few  miles 
below  Netherby.  The  swift  rise  of  the  tide  on  the  Solway  sands 
is  described  in  Redgaunilet,  letter  iv :  '  He  that  dreams  on  the  bed 
of  the  Solway  may  wake  in  the  next  world.' 

32.    a  galliard]    Described  by  sir  John  Davies,  Orchestra:  or 
a  poem  on  Dancing,  as  '  a  swift  and  wand'ring  dance.  .  . . 
With  lofty  turns  and  capriols  in  the  air, 
Which  with  the  lusty  tunes  accordeth  fair.' 
It  was  known  also  as  the  cinquepace: 

Five  was  the  number  of  the  music's  feet. 
Which  still  the  dance  did  with  five  paces  meet. 

39.    the  croupe]    The  crupper  or  hinder-part  of  the  horse. 

41.  scaur]  A  cliff  or  crag,  from  the  Norse  sker.  The  word  is 
frequently  found  in  the  north  of  England,  e.g.  Gordale  scar  near 
Skipton,  and  Ravenscar,  the  cliff  which  forms  the  highest  point 
of  the  coast  between  Whitby  and  Scarborough. 

44.  Forsters,  Fenwicks,  and  Musgraves]  Names  of  border 
families.  The  Forsters  and  Fenwicks  came  from  Northumberland : 
the  Musgraves  originally  from  Westmorland.  The  murder  of 
Richard  Musgrave  of  Stapleton,  not  far  from  Netherby,  by 
William  of  Deloraine,  was  the  cause  of  the  '  Warden  raid '  which 
forms  a  prominent  feature  of  The  Lay  of  the  Last  Minstrel. 

45.  Cannobie  Lee]  Canonbie  in  Dumfriesshire  is  on  the  Esk, 
a  few  miles  above  Netherby.  The  'lee'  or  'lea'  is  Canonbie  muir, 
a  tract  of  moorland  to  the  north-east  of  the  village. 

VII.    Douglas  and  Marmion 

Canto  VI,  xiii-xv.  See  introd.  note,  p.  117  above.  Archibald 
Douglas,  fifth  earl  of  Angus,  succeeded  his  father,  the  fourth 
earl,  in  1462.  In  1482  he  combined  with  other  Scottish  nobles 
against  James  III  and  his  favourite  Robert  Cochrane,  earl  of 
Mar.  While  the  confederates  were  awaiting  the  approach  of  the 
king's  army  in  the  church  of  Lauder,  Angus  told  them  the  fable 
of  the  mice  who  decided  to  safeguard  themselves  against  the  cat 
by  tying  a  bell  round  his  neck,  but  failed  to  do  so  because  no  one 
would  undertake  the  task.    He  concluded  by  promising  to  bell 


128  NOTES  pp.  27- 

the  cat  himself,  and  so  encouraged  his  friends  to  the  summary 
process  of  hanging  the  earl  of  Mar  and  his  accomplices  on  the 
bridge  of  Lauder.  He  thus  obtained  his  famous  nickname  of 
Archibald  Bell-the-Cat.    He  died  in  1514,  the  year  after  Flodden. 

Tantallon  castle,  where  this  scene  takes  place,  is  on  a  rock, 
almost  encircled  by  the  sea,  three  miles  east  of  North  Berwick  in 
Haddingtonshire.  After  the  execution  of  Murdoch  Stewart, 
second  duke  of  Albany  and  earl  of  Fife,  in  1425,  it  was  granted 
to  the  earls  of  Angus. 

3.  Surrey's  camp]  Thomas  Howard,  earl  of  Surrey,  com- 
manded the  English  forces  at  Flodden.  In  15 14  he  was  created 
duke  of  Norfolk,  a  title  formerly  borne  by  his  father,  who  had 
died  fighting  for  Richard  III  at  Bosworth. 

10.  The  earl's  words  mean  that  Marmion's  efforts  to  win 
Clare  would  be  of  no  avail,  as  De  Wilton  was  already  on  his  way 
to  Surrey's  camp,  where  he  would  expose  Marmion's  treachery. 

13.     'plain]    Complain. 

25.  My  castles  are  my  King's  alone]  According  to  the 
feudal  theory,  the  sovereign  was  the  owner  of  all  landed  property, 
which  was  held  by  its  tenants  either  directly  by  grant  from  him, 
or  by  grant  of  intermediate  lords  whose  tenure  could  eventually 
be  traced  back  to  him.  Thus  Tantallon  had  been  granted  by  the 
Crown  to  the  earls  of  Angus  after  its  forfeiture  by  the  previous 
tenant,  Murdoch,  duke  of  Albany,  and  would  return  to  the  Crown 
in  the  event  of  its  forfeiture  by  the  earls  of  Angus.  Tenants  who 
held  property  immediately  from  the  Crown  were  known  as 
tenants  in  chief. 

56.  Saint  Bride  of  Bothwell]  St  Bride  or  Bridget  was  the 
patron  saint  of  the  house  of  Douglas.  Bothwell  castle  in  Lanark- 
shire was  one  of  the  strongholds  of  the  elder  branch  of  the  family, 
the  earls  of  Douglas  (see  note  on  11.  30,  31,  p.  108  above),  which 
forfeited  its  estates  by  the  rebellion  of  the  last  earl  in  1455  against 
king  James  II.  Bothwell  castle  was  restored  to  the  Douglases 
by  James  IV  in  exchange  for  their  castle  of  Hermitage.  The 
churches  of  Bothwell  and  Douglas,  near  Lanark,  the  original  seat 
of  the  family,  were  dedicated  to  St  Bride. 


31  NOTES  129 

77.  A  letter  forg'd]  The  letters  which  were  intended  to 
prove  De  Wilton's  treason  had  been  forged  for  Marmion  by- 
Constance  of  Beverley.  She,  before  her  tragic  end  at  Lindisfarne, 
had  given  them  to  the  abbess  of  Whitby,  who  had  delivered  them 
to  the  supposed  palmer,  De  Wilton  in  disguise,  at  Edinburgh, 
the  night  before  the  journey  to  Tantallon,  where  the  story  was 
revealed  by  De  Wilton  to  the  earl  of  Angus. 

81.  Saint  Bothan]  The  second  abbot  of  loua,  more  correctly 
Bath  an. 

82.  Gawain]  Gavin  Douglas,  third  son  of  the  earl  of  Angus, 
famous  as  the  author  of  a  translation  of  the  Aeneid  of  Vergil. 
Scott  makes  him  a  bishop  at  this  time  (1.  84),  and,  as  such,  he  is 
present  when  the  earl  restores  De  Wilton  to  the  honour  of  knight- 
hood. As  a  matter  of  fact,  he  was  not  consecrated  bishop  till 
1516,  when  he  received  the  see  of  Dunkeld.  He  was  deprived  of 
his  bishopric  in  1520  and  died  in  1522.  He  had  been  nominated 
to  the  archbishopric  of  St  Andrews  in  15 14,  but  failed  to  obtain 
it.  At  the  date  of  Marmion,  when  he  was  nearly  forty,  he  was 
provost  of  the  collegiate  church  of  St  Giles  at  Edinburgh. 


VIII.    The  English  advance  at  Flodden 

Canto  VI,  xix,  xx.  Marmion,  on  his  journey  from  Tantallon 
to  the  English  army,  rests  at  Tennel  on  the  Scottish  bank  of  the 
Tweed,  below  Coldstream.  From  this  point  he  sees,  on  the 
morning  of  9  Sept.  15 13,  the  EngUsh  cross  the  Till  at  Twisel, 
close  to  its  junction  with  the  Tweed,  and  advance  upon  the 
Scottish  army.  James  IV,  on  marching  into  England,  had  taken 
up  his  position  on  the  hill  of  Flodden,  a  foot-hill  of  the  Cheviots, 
which  descend  steeply  into  the  broad  valley  of  the  Till  on  its 
western  side.  Surrey  was  encamped  on  Barmoor,  the  ridge  which 
forms  the  eastern  limit  of  the  valley  at  this  point.  Instead  of 
marching  directly  across  the  river,  he  moved  his  army  down  the 
right  bank  of  the  Till,  and,  by  crossing  the  stream  at  Twisel, 
gained  a  position  which  cut  off  James'  return  to  Scotland. 

7.    the  deep  defile]    The  Till  at  Twisel  bridge  flows  through 

T.  S.  Q 


130  NOTES  pp.  31- 

a  narrow  wooded  gorge.  On  the  right  bank,  close  to  the  bridge, 
rises  the  red  sandstone  chff  at  the  top  of  which  is  the  ruined 
castle  of  Twisel,  in  its  present  state  a  comparatively  modern 
building,  begun  by  sir  Francis  Blake  in  1770. 

9.    airy]    Lofty,  exposed  to  the  air,  as  in  1.  31  below. 

15.  the  sullen  Till]  The  Till  runs  sluggishly  with  a  deep 
stream.   A  traditional  rhyme  contrasts  its  course  with  that  of  the 

Tweed : 

Tweed  says  to  Till, 

'  What  gars  ye  rin  sae  still  ? ' 

Till  says  to  Tweed, 

'  Though  ye  rin  with  speed, 

And  I  rin  slaw. 
Yet  where  ye  drown  ae  man, 

I  drown  twa ! ' 

16.  dim-'wood]    Dim  with  wood. 

25.  Saint  Helen]  St  Helen's  well  is  a  petrifying  spring  be- 
neath a  rock  which  rises  near  the  bridge. 

40.  the  vain  knight-errant]  Scott  notes  the  weak  point  in 
the  character  of  James  IV,  a  knight  in  whom  dreams  of  chivalry 
and  romance  took  the  place  of  aptitude  for  war.  In  the  following 
lines,  he  contrasts  him  with  the  heroes  who  defeated  England  at 
Bannockburn  in  13 14 — Robert  Bruce,  king  of  Scotland  1306-29 
(1.  44),  sir  James  Douglas,  lord  of  Douglas,  known  as  'the  good 
lord  James'  (1.  41),  and  sir  Thomas  Randolph,  earl  of  Moray 
(1.  42).  Randolph  was  famous  for  his  exploit  of  the  capture  of 
Edinburgh  castle  by  a  night  assault  in  March,  13 12-3. 

43.  Wallace  wight]  Wight  =  strong,  active,  cf.  note  on  1.  36, 
p.  104.  Sir  William  Wallace,  the  defender  of  the  independence  of 
Scotland  against  Edward  I,  was  defeated  at  Falkirk  in  1298,  and, 
after  maintaining  irregular  warfare  for  some  time,  was  taken 
prisoner  and  executed  at  Westminster  in  1305. 

45.    Saint  Andrew]    The  patron  saint  of  Scotland. 


35  NOTES  131 

IX.    The  Death  of  Marmion 

Canto  VI,  xxix-xxxii.  For  the  circumstances,  see  introd.  note, 
p.  118  above. 

3.  Blount  and  Fitz-Eustace,  Marmion's  two  pages,  had  carried 
him  out  of  the  battle.  In  the  next  line  Marmion  recognises  them 
with  his  returning  senses. 

10.  Dacre]  Lord  Dacre  commanded  the  reserve  of  the  Eng- 
lish cavalry  at  Flodden. 

13.  Tunstall]  Sir  Brian  Tunstall  of  Thurland,  Lancashire, 
called  by  Surrey  (canto  vi,  xxiv),  'stainless  knight,'  and  known 
as  Tunstall  the  undefiled,  'one  of  the  few  Englishmen  of  rank 
slain  at  Flodden'  (Scott). 

15.  Edmund]  Sir  Edmund  Howard,  son  of  the  earl  of  Surrey, 
commanded  the  right  wing  of  the  army. 

16.  The  Admiral]  Thomas  Howard,  lord  high  admiral  of 
England,  eldest  son  of  the  earl  of  Surrey.  He  succeeded  his 
father  as  duke  of  Norfolk  in  1524. 

17.  Stanley]  Sir  Edward  Stanley,  fifth  son  of  Thomas  Stan- 
ley, first  earl  of  Derby,  the  step-father  of  king  Henry  VII.  He 
was  placed  in  command  of  the  English  cavalry  at  Flodden  with 
lord  Dacre.  He  was  created  baron  Monteagle  in  15 14  and  died 
in  1523. 

33.  variable]  Cf.  Vergil,  Aen.  iv,  569-70:  '  Varium  et  muta- 
bile  semper  Femina.' 

52.  some  half-worn  letters]  Scott  imagined  this  inscription, 
a  version  of  which  has  been  carved  over  a  spring  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  the  battle-field,  but  in  a  situation  which,  considering 
the  relative  position  of  the  English  and  Scottish  armies,  it  is 
quite  impossible  to  connect  with  this  incident. 

61.  shrieve]  Absolve  after  confession:  cf.  '  shrift,'  1.  67 
below. 

65.  Constsmce]  Constance  of  Beverley,  the  nun  who,  be- 
trayed by  Marmion,  had  been  immured  at  Lindisfarne. 

80.  the  dark  presage]  Marmion  alludes  to  the  night  in  the 
inn  at  GiA'crd  (canto  iii,  xii),  when  Fitz-Eustace  sang  the  song 


132  NOTES  pp.  35- 

'  Where  shall  the  lover  rest'  (p.  125  above).  As  Fitz- Eustace  sang 
Marmion  seemed  to  hear  a  death-peal 

Such  as  in  nunneries  they  toll 

For  some  departing  sister's  soul. 
On  asking  the  company  what  this  meant,  he  was  answered  by 
the  Palmer  with  the  words  'The  death  of  a  dear  friend.'  The 
concluding  words  of  the  third  stanza  of  Fitz-Eustace's  song,  with 
their  foreboding  meaning,  ring  in  Marmion's  ears  as  he  dies 
(11.  loi,  102  below). 

98.  A  lady's  voice]  See  the  previous  note.  In  Marmion's 
dying  ears,  the  voice  of  Constance,  whose  'favourite  roundelay' 
Fitz-Eustace  had  chosen  as  his  song,  sings  the  fatal  words. 

104.  Avoid,  thee,  Fiend!]  The  monk  endeavours  to  exorcise 
the  avenging  spirit  of  Constance,  which  makes  Marmion  deaf  to 
his  consolations. 

105.  sand]  The  running  sand  in  the  hour-glass  of  the  dying 
sinner's  life. 

106.  yon  sign]  The  stone  cross  on  the  hill  where  Marmion's 
death  takes  place. 

120.  Chester]  The  men  of  Cheshire,  led  in  the  victorious 
charge  by  sir  Edward  Stanley. 

EXTRACTS  FROM   THE  LADY  OF  THE  LAKE 

In  The  Lady  of  the  Lake,  begun  at  Ashestiel  in  the  autumn  of 
1809,  Scott  left  the  theme  of  border  warfare  for  a  subject  suggested 
by  the  romantic  scenery  of  the  southern  Highlands  of  Scotland. 
This  district  had  already  furnished  material  for  some  of  the  most 
beautiful  lyrics  of  Wordsworth,  who  had  visited  the  Scottish 
lakes  with  his  sister  Dorothy  and  Coleridge  in  1803;  but  to  the 
general  public  it  was  still  unknown  country.  Scott's  poem  ap- 
peared in  May  1810.  '  I  do  not  recollect,'  said  Robert  Cadell,  the 
publisher  of  Lockhart's  Life  of  Scott,  'that  any  of  all  the  author's 
works  was  ever  looked  for  with  more  intense  anxiety,  or  that 
any  one  of  them  excited  a  more  extraordinary  sensation  when  it 
did  appear.  The  whole  country  rang  with  the  praises  of  the  poet 
— crowds  set  off  to  view  the  scenery  of  Loch  Katrine,  till  then 


37  NOTES  133 

comparatively  unknown;  and  as  the  book  came  out  just  before 
the  season  for  excursions,  every  house  and  inn  in  that  neighbour- 
hood was  crammed  with  a  constant  succession  of  visitors.' 

The  date  of  the  story  is  the  reign  of  James  V  of  Scotland,  the 
son  of  the  king  who  figures  in  Marmion,  and  the  father  of  Mary 
queen  of  Scots.  He  was  a  year  old  at  the  time  of  his  father's 
death:  in  1528  he  threw  off  the  control  of  his  step-father,  Archi- 
bald, earl  of  Angus,  the  grandson  of  the  Angus  of  Marmion,  and 
ruled  till  1542,  when  he  died  at  Falkland  palace  of  grief  at  the 
defeat  of  Solway  moss. 

The  poem  opens  with  the  description  of  a  stag-hunt  in  which  a 
single  rider,  out-distancing  the  rest,  enters  the  defile  of  the  Tros- 
sachs,  between  Loch  Achray  and  Loch  Katrine.  Here  his  horse, 
spent  with  the  chase,  dies,  and  the  hunter,  arriving  on  the  shore 
of  Loch  Katrine,  blows  his  bugle  to  summon  any  companion  who 
may  be  near.  In  answer  to  his  call,  a  boat  puts  off  from  an  island 
in  the  lake.  Ellen,  the  Lady  of  the  Lake,  thinking  that  the  note 
is  that  of  her  father  or  her  lover,  Malcolm  Graeme,  appears  and 
finds  the  huntsman,  whose  coming  has  been  prophesied  by  the 
harper  Allan-Bane.  She  ferries  him  over  to  the  island,  where  he 
is  received  in  the  rustic  mansion  by  its  mistress,  dame  Margaret, 
and  announces  himself  under  the  title  of  the  knight  of  Snowdoun, 
James  Fitz-James.  Canto  i,  The  Chase,  ends  with  the  uneasy 
dreams  of  the  stranger,  in  whose  mind  the  sight  of  a  huge  falchion 
hung  among  the  weapons  of  the  hall  has  awakened  memories 
and  forebodings.  Canto  11,  The  Island,  opens  with  his  departure 
and  a  conversation  between  Ellen  and  Allan-Bane,  which  dis- 
closes the  main  situation.  Ellen  is  the  daughter  of  the  proscribed 
chief  of  the  house  of  Douglas,  who  has  found  refuge  upon  the 
island  under  the  protection  of  Roderick  Dhu,  chief  of  the  High- 
land clan  Alpine.  Roderick  is  a  suitor  for  the  hand  of  Ellen, 
whose  affections  are  fixed  on  Malcolm  Graeme.  At  the  end  of 
the  conversation,  Roderick  himself  arrives  in  his  galley  and 
shortly  afterwards  Douglas  returns  from  hunting.  He  is  accom- 
panied by  Malcolm,  who  has  preserved  him  from  discovery  by 
the  huntsmen  on  the  mainland.    In  the  evening,  Roderick  an- 


134  NOTES  p. 

nounces  that  the  king,  under  pretext  of  a  hunting  expedition,  is 
preparing  to  levy  war  on  the  Highland  chiefs,  and  that  Douglas 
has  been  recognised.  He  proposes,  on  condition  of  his  marriage 
with  Ellen,  to  invade  the  Lowlands,  while  Douglas  guards  the 
mountain  passes.  Douglas  refuses  the  proffered  alliance,  and 
Roderick  turns  his  anger  on  Malcolm.  Douglas  intervenes  and 
stops  the  threatened  fight,  and  Roderick  tells  Malcolm  to  bear 
his  challenge  to  the  king.  Malcolm  refuses  his  safe-conduct  and 
swims  away  from  the  island,  bent  on  a  plan  for  rescuing  Douglas 
from  his  dangerous  exile. 

In  Canto  iii.  The  Gathering,  Roderick  Dhu,  with  preliminary 
ceremonies,  sends  his  follower  Malise  with  the  fiery  cross,  the 
summons  of  assemblage  to  the  clan,  ordering  them  to  meet  at 
Lanrick  mead,  at  the  north-west  end  of  Loch  Vennachar.  Douglas 
and  Ellen  withdraw  from  the  island  to  the  Goblin  cave  in  Ben- 
venue.  As  Roderick  is  on  his  way  to  the  place  of  muster,  he  hears 
Ellen  singing  her  evening  hymn  to  the  Virgin.  Canto  iv,  The 
Prophecy,  takes  its  name  from  the  augury  derived  by  Roderick's 
chaplain,  the  wizard-monk  Brian,  from  the  sacrifice  of  a  bull: 

Which  spills  the  foremost  foeman's  life, 
That  party  conquers  in  the  strife  ! 

In  the  meantime,  while  the  clan  prepares  for  battle,  and  their 
women  and  children  are  sent  for  safety  to  the  island  in  Loch 
Katrine,  Roderick  has  learned  that  a  spy  from  the  south  has 
entered  his  territory  under  the  guidance  of  a  clansman  named 
Murdoch,  who  has  been  charged  to  mislead  him  into  an  ambush. 
This  spy  he  takes  to  be  the  '  foremost  foeman '  of  the  prophecy. 
Warned  of  the  approach  of  an  army  led  by  the  earls  of  Moray 
and  Mar,  Roderick  determines  to  await  them  in  the  Trossachs. 
The  scene  then  changes  to  the  Goblin  cave  and  to  another  con- 
versation between  Ellen  and  the  harper.  Douglas  has  by  this 
time  left  his  retreat,  and  Ellen  and  Allan-Bane  are  alone.  As 
Allan-Bane  is  finishing  the  ballad  of  Alice  Brand,  the  knight  of 
Snowdoun,  guided  by  Murdoch,  appears  before  them.  He  has 
returned  under  the  spell  of  Ellen's  beauty  to  declare  his  love  and 


37  NOTES  135 

offer  to  take  her  in  safety  to  Stirling.  She  decUnes  his  offer:  her 
father  is  an  outlaw  and  she  loves  none  but  Malcolm.  She  warns 
him  of  the  danger  he  is  in  from  his  faithless  guide;  and  he,  realising 
that  his  suit  is  hopeless,  leaves  her,  confiding  to  her  a  ring  which 
he  says  that  the  king  of  Scots  has  given  him  as  a  reward  for  saving 
his  life.  The  ring  will  be  her  passport  to  the  monarch,  who  will 
grant  her  what  boon  she  asks,  in  redemption  of  his  pledge  to  the 
knight. 

On  leaving  Ellen,  Fitz- James  enters  the  Trossachs,  where  he 
meets  Blanche  of  Devan,  a  Lowland  girl  who  has  been  carried  off 
by  Roderick  on  her  wedding-day  and  has  been  driven  mad  by 
her  misfortunes.  Her  wild  songs  and  a  sudden  shout  from  his 
guide  awaken  his  suspicions,  hitherto  neglected.  He  threatens 
Murdoch,  who  attempts  to  escape,  but,  after  shooting  an  arrow 
and  wounding  Blanche  instead  of  the  knight,  is  overtaken  and 
slain.  Blanche,  wounded  to  death,  lays  upon  the  knight  the 
charge  of  avenging  her  and  gives  him  a  lock  of  her  bridegroom's 
hair,  which  he  twines  with  a  tress  of  her  own  and  places  in  his 
bonnet.  He  wanders  on,  until  he  comes  upon  a  lonely  watch-fire 
guarded  by  a  clansman,  in  answer  to  whose  challenge  he  pro- 
claims himself  a  foe  to  Roderick.  The  mountaineer,  recognising 
him  as  the  foeman  of  Brian's  prophecy  but  assured  by  his  bold 
words  that  he  is  no  spy,  offers  him  the  hospitality  of  his  fire  and 
plaid  for  the  night  and  promises  to  guide  him  in  safety  next  day 
to  the  outskirts  of  Roderick's  camp.  Next  morning,  at  the  begin- 
ning of  canto  V,  The  Combat,  the  two  travel  together  by  the  side 
of  Loch  Vennachar.  Fitz- James  tells  the  highlander  that  his 
journey  has  been  purely  peaceful  and  that  he  knew  nothing  of 
the  imminent  battle:  his  only  knowledge  of  Roderick  till  the  day 
before  has  been  that  he  is  an  outlaw,  exiled  for  stabbing  a  knight 
at  the  regent  Albany's  court  at  Holyrood.  The  clansman  defends 
Roderick's  action:  his  forays  into  the  Lowlands  are  merely  just 
retribution  for  the  encroachments  of  the  Crown  upon  the  property 
of  the  clans,  who  are  driven  for  refuge  into  the  barren  Highlands; 
even  if  an  ambush  has  been  laid  for  a  defenceless  man,  it  is  be- 
cause the  stranger  has  ventured  to  tread  hostile  soil  without 


136  NOTES  p. 

warning,  and  because  his  life  is  forfeit  to  an  augury.  The  knight 
accepts  his  words,  but  declares  that  he  is  bound  to  meet  Roderick 
in  combat  and  will  come  openly  for  that  purpose,  and  that  he 
longs  for  the  hour  of  meeting  Roderick  and  his  clan.  At  these 
words  the  clansman  whistles:  a  band  of  armed  men  springs  up 
from  behind  the  rocks  and  bushes;  these,  the  clansman  says,  are 
the  clan  and  he  himself  is  Roderick.  At  a  sign  from  their  chieftain, 
the  warriors  disappear,  and  Roderick,  in  fulfilment  of  his  promise, 
guides  his  guest  as  far  as  the  outlet  of  the  lake  and  there  offers 
him  single  combat.  Fitz-James  points  out  to  him  that  the  augury 
has  already  been  accomplished  by  the  death  of  Murdoch:  the 
foremost  foeman  has  fallen,  and  Roderick's  best  course  will  be 
to  come  with  him  to  the  king  at  Stirling  and  ask  for  grace. 
Roderick,  however,  refuses  to  accept  the  death  of  a  'wretched 
kern'  as  a  fulfilment  of  the  prophecy,  though  it  binds  him  to 
avenge  his  clansman.  The  fight  then  takes  place,  and  Roderick 
is  defeated  and  wounded.  The  knight  blows  his  bugle:  four 
esquires  appear  in  answer,  and  they  ride  to  Stirling  castle  with 
the  wounded  chieftain.  As  they  climb  the  steep  to  the  castle, 
they  see  a  man  mounting  on  foot  behind  them,  whom  Fitz-James 
recognises  as  the  banished  Douglas.  He  has  come  to  court  to 
deliver  himself  to  his  sovereign,  after  obtaining  a  promise  of 
shelter  for  Ellen  at  Cambuskenneth  abbey.  But  the  day  on 
which  he  arrives  is  a  holiday  in  Stirling,  when  the  burghers  are 
holding  sports  in  the  castle  park;  and  Douglas  determines  to 
shew  his  prowess  at  the  games.  Disowned  by  the  king  and  cour- 
tiers, but  admired  by  the  crowd,  he  performs  prodigies  of  strength 
and  flings  the  gold  which  he  wins  to  the  people.  The  king,  seeing 
the  sports  flag,  lets  loose  a  stag  to  be  coursed  by  two  greyhounds. 
Douglas'  hound  Lufra  joins  in  the  chase  and  brings  down  the 
stag.  A  groom  strikes  her;  and  Douglas  in  anger  strikes  him 
senseless  with  his  gauntlet  and  declares  himself  to  the  king, 
offering  himself  as  a  hostage  for  his  Highland  entertainers.  The 
king  orders  him  to  be  taken  prisoner  to  the  castle,  amid  the 
murmurs  of  the  crowd,  whose  rebellion  is  stilled  by  the  entreaties 
of  Douglas.   While  the  king  is  disturbed  by  these  events,  he  hears 


37  NOTES  137 

the  news  of  the  rising  of  Clan- Alpine,  which  is  said  to  be  on  behalf 
of  Douglas,  and  sends  to  the  earl  of  Mar  to  stop  his  advance,  as 
both  Roderick  and  Douglas  are  prisoners. 

Night  closes  on  canto  v,  amid  confused  rumours  of  battle.  The 
sun  rises  on  canto  vi,  The  Guard-room,  in  which  Ellen  appears 
with  the  ring  among  the  mercenary  soldiers  in  the  outer  ward  of 
the  castle,  accompanied  by  Allan-Bane  and  a  Flem.ish  archer, 
Bertram.  She  is  taken  to  the  king  by  the  captain.  Meanwhile 
Allan  asks  to  see  his  chieftain  and  is  conducted  to  the  cell  where, 
not  Douglas,  but  Roderick  lies.  Dying  of  his  wound  and  ignorant 
of  what  has  happened  since  the  single  combat,  Roderick  demands 
news  and  bids  the  harper  sing  the  story  of  the  battle  between 
his  clan  and  the  Lowlanders.  Allan's  song  tells  of  the  victorious 
advance  of  Mar  and  Moray  through  the  Trossachs,  of  the  last 
stand  of  the  clan  on  the  banks  of  Loch  Katrine  to  protect  the 
women  and  children  upon  the  island,  and  of  the  arrival  of  king 
James'  messenger  with  the  flag  of  truce.  As  he  concludes, 
Roderick  dies  and  Allan  breaks  forth  into  a  song  of  lament.  The 
scene  changes  to  the  room  where  Ellen  awaits  her  interview  with 
the  king.  She  hears  a  song  of  a  prisoner  in  a  neighbouring  tower, 
in  which  her  name  occurs;  and  at  this  moment  she  is  joined  by 
Fitz-James,  who  takes  her  to  the  king.  But  in  the  presence- 
chamber,  among  the  courtiers,  she  sees  at  first  no  king,  until  she 
realises  that  the  knight  of  Snowdoun,  who  remains  uncovered, 
is  the  king  himself.  The  poem  ends  with  the  restoration  of  Douglas 
to  his  title  and  estates,  and  the  bestowal  of  Ellen's  hand  upon 
Malcolm  Graeme  as  the  pledge  redeemed  by  the  ring. 

The  romance  is  entirely  unhistorical,  apart  from  its  foundation 
upon  legends  regarding  James  V.  The  story  of  the  banished 
Douglas  is  founded  upon  traditions  of  the  youth  of  James  Douglas, 
earl  of  Morton  and  regent  of  Scotland  1572-8,  who  was  nephew 
of  the  fallen  regent  Angus;  but  the  circumstances  are  quite  out 
of  keeping  with  actual  events.  Roderick  Dhu  is  an  entirely 
imaginary  character.  On  the  other  hand,  Scott  took  great  pains 
to  verify  the  topography  of  his  poem ;  and  its  great  charm  lies  in 
the  beautiful  and  vivid  descriptions  of  the  scenery  which  is  the 


138  NOTES  pp.  37- 

setting  of  the  tale.  The  Lady  of  the  Lake  has  less  sustained  vigour 
than  Marmion:  chivalry  and  battle  are  its  episodes  rather  than 
its  theme,  and  greater  prominence  is  given  to  the  sentimental 
element  in  the  character  of  Ellen  than  to  Clare  in  Marmion.  The 
story,  however,  does  not  flag  in  interest:  such  episodes  as  the 
journey  of  the  Fiery  cross  and  Fitz-James'  ride  from  Coilantogle 
to  Stirling  have  the  inspired  quality  which  Scott's  love  of  his 
native  land  communicated  to  such  passages;  and  the  dramatic 
suspense  which  culminates  in  the  disclosure,  foreseen  all  along 
by  the  reader,  of  the  identity  of  the  knight  of  Snowdoun  with 
the  king  of  Scots,  is  maintained  with  an  art  which  foreshadows 
Scott's  later  success  as  a  novelist. 

I.    Invocation 

From  canto  i,  II.  1-27.  Each  canto  of  The  Lady  of  the  Lake 
opens  with  a  passage  in  Spenserian  stanza,  preluding  the  main 
subject,  a  device  again  employed  by  Scott  in  The  Lord  of  the 
Isles.  The  invocation  is  addressed  to  the  spirit  of  ancient  Scottish 
ballad-poetry,  symbolised  by  the  harp  to  which  the  minstrel 
accompanied  his  song.  Scott  varies  the  narrative  of  The  Lady  of 
the  Lake,  as  those  of  his  other  poems,  by  introducing  lays  and 
ballads  at  intervals  in  free  imitation  of  the  old  type  of  lyric;  and 
Allan-Bane,  the  Highland  harper,  plays  a  prominent  part  in  the 
story. 

2.  the  witch-elm  that  shades  St  Fillan's  spring]  St 
Fillan's  well  is  mentioned  by  Scott  in  Marmion,  i,  xxix,  with  a 
note  that  several  springs  in  Perthshire  dedicated  to  St  Fillan 
were,  even  after  the  reformation,  held  to  have  effect  in  cases  of 
madness.  Lunatics  were  '  left  all  night,  bound  to  the  holy  stone, 
in  confidence  that  the  saint  would  cure  and  unloose  them  before 
morning.'  The  most  famous  of  these  holy  wells  was  in  Glendo- 
chart,  near  Crianlarich  in  the  south-west  of  Perthshire,  where  the 
Irish  missionary  St  Fillan,  abbot  of  Pittenweem  in  Fife,  founded 
a  monastery  in  the  eighth  century.  Scott's  choice  of  such  a  well 
as  the  resting-place  of  the  harp  of  the  North  is  probably  an 


39  NOTES  139 

allusion  to  the  healing  influence  of  poetry,  typified  by  the  wel 
'whose  spring,'  as  he  says  in  Marmion, 

can  frenzied  dreams  dispel, 
And  the  craz'd  brain  restore. 
A  witch-  or  wych-elm  (O.E.  wice)  is  an  elm  with  drooping 
branches;  but  Scott  appears  to  use  the  prefix  in  a  double  sense, 
referring  to  the  magic  qualities  of  the  spring  and  the  harp  which 
he  figures  as  hanging  above  it.  Cf.  'magic  maze'  in  1.  20  and 
'wizard  note'  in  1.  26,  and  see  note  on  1.  5,  p.  147  below. 

3.  thy  numbers  flung]  The  wind  played  through  the  strings 
of  the  harp,  arousing  fitful  strains,  until  the  ivy  grew  round  and 
buried  it. 

10.    Caledon]    See  note  on  1.  17  (no.  iv),  p.  iii  above. 

14.  each  according  pause]  Each  pause  in  the  song,  at 
which  the  symphony  played  on  the  harp  harmoniously  echoes 
the  melody. 

20.  thy  magic  maze]  The  variety  of  strings  of  the  harp, 
from  which  the  hand  produces  an  endless  combination  of  magic 
sounds,  'the  wizard  note'  of  1.  26. 

II.    The  Trossachs 

From  canto  i,  xi-xiv,  where  Fitz-James'  journey  to  Loch 
Katrine  is  described.  A  chain  of  three  lakes,  Loch  Katrine,  Loch 
Achray  and  Loch  Vennachar,  lies  at  the  head-waters  of  the  Teith, 
which  joins  the  Forth  near  Stirling.  Between  Loch  Katrine  and 
Loch  Achray  is  the  narrow  defile  of  the  Trossachs,  vividly 
described  in  these  stanzas.  It  winds  between  the  mountains  of 
Ben  A'an  (1.  94)  and  Benvenue  (1.  87) — 'a  rugged  labyrinth  of 
mounds  and  rocks,  covered  with  the  richest  vegetation  of  oaks 
and  pensile  birch  and  rowans'  (Murray's  Guide  to  Scotland). 

14.    Shinar's  plain]    See  Genesis  xi.  2. 

ig.  pagod]  Pagoda  or  Eastern  temple,  usually  a  tall  building 
of  tapering  or  pyramidal  shape,  rising  with  fantastic  effect. 

20.  mosque]  Scott  refers  to  the  picturesque  grouping  of  the 
cupolas  and  minarets  of  an  Eastern  mosque. 

21.  earth-born  castles]    Cf.  the  description  in  The  Brida 


I40  NOTES  pp.  39- 

of  Triermain,  i.  xiii,  of  the  Castle  rock  in  the  vale  of  St  John  near 
Keswick : 

But,  midmost  of  the  vale,  a  mound 
Arose  with  airy  turrets  crown'd. 
Buttress,  and  rampire's  circling  bound, 

And  mighty  keep  and  tower; 
Seem'd  some  primeval  giant's  hand 
The  castle's  massive  walls  had  plann'd, 
A  ponderous  bulwark  to  withstand 
Ambitious  Nimrod's  power. 
25.    sheen]    Shining.    The    actual    meaning   of   the   word    is 
'beautiful,'  like  the  German  schon:  its  transferred  sense  is  due  to 
a  mistaken  connexion  with  the  verb  'to  shine.' 

29.  Boon]  Bounteous.  Here  again  a  slight  confusion  in  sense 
has  taken  place  between  the  adjective,  which  is  equivalent  simply 
to  the  French  60^=  good,  kind,  and  the  substantive  'boon,' 
which  means  a  prayer  or  gift. 

36.  Emblems  of  punishment  and  pride]  The  sombre 
deadly  nightshade  is  in  Scott's  imagination  an  emblem  of  punish- 
ment, with  its  poisonous  fruit;  the  bright  hues  of  the  foxglove 
naturally  suggest  pride. 

41.  warrior  oak]  '  The  builder  Oake,  sole  king  of  forrests 
air  (Spenser,  Faerie  Queene,  i,  i,  8),  where  the  enduring  power  of 
the  oak  and  its  use  in  building  war-ships,  both  implied  here  by 
Scott,  are  referred  to.  Spenser,  in  the  same  passage  (i,  i,  9),  applies 
the  epithet  'warlike'  to  the  beech.  The  allusion  to  ships  of  war 
is  developed  in  'Cast  anchor'  (1.  42). 

44.    His  shatter 'd  trunk]    Cf.  Byron,  Childe  Harold,  iv,  xx: 

But  from  their  nature  will  the  tannen  grow 
Loftiest  on  loftiest  and  least  sheltered  rocks,  etc. 

48.  glist'ning  streamers]  The  boughs  of  the  trees,  shining 
in  the  sun  and  waving  to  and  fro  in  the  breeze,  revealing  the 
mountain-peaks  and  the  blue  sky  at  intervals. 

54.  A  narrow  inlet]  The  upper  end  of  the  Trossachs  is 
indented   by  a  deep  inlet  of  Loch   Katrine,  dividing  into  two 


43  NOTES  141 

branches,  the  southern  one  of  which  is  the  outlet  of  the  river, 
while  the  modern  road  ends  at  the  foot  of  the  northern.  Fitz- 
James  travelled  along  the  bank  of  the  northern  branch  and  the 
main  inlet  until  he  came  to  the  open  lake  opposite  Ellen's  isle. 

68.  their  parent  hill]  Benvenue.  The  scene  is  described 
from  the  foot  of  Ben  A'an. 

75.  his  ladder]  Scott  says  that,  until  a  road  was  made 
through  the  Trossachs,  the  only  exit  was  '  by  a  sort  of  ladder, 
composed  of  the  branches  and  roots  of  trees.' 

80.  Loch  Katrine]  The  name  of  the  lake  was  derived,  accord- 
ing to  Scott,  from  the  Gaelic  word  ceaihairne  or  'cateran,'  origin- 
ally meaning  'peasantry,'  which,  from  the  free-booting  habits  of 
the  Highlanders,  acquired  the  sense  of  'marauder.' 

85.  like  giants]  Cf.  Browning,  Childe  Roland  to  the  Dark 
Tower  came,  190-1 : 

The  hills,  like  giants  at  a  hunting,  lay. 
Chin  upon  hand,  to  see  the  game  at  bay. 

90.  The  fragments  of  an  earlier  -world]  The  dibris  of  the 
mountain,  representing  its  gradual  decay  through  long  eras. 

III.    Ellen's  Song 

From  canto  i,  xxxi,  xxxii.  Sung  by  Ellen  at  the  close  of  the 
evening  spent  by  Fitz-James  in  the  island,  to  the  music  of  an 
unseen  harp. 

15.  pibroch]  War  music  played  on  the  bagpipes:  Gaelic 
piobaireachd. 

19.  his  drum]  The  peculiar  '  bumping  '  note  of  the  bittern. 
The  popular  tradition  was  that  the  note  was  produced  by  the 
bittern  putting  its  bill  into  a  hollow  reed,  such  as  abound  in  the 
marshes  where  it  made  its  home.    Cf.  Suckling,  Aglaura  iv,  ii,  8. 

34.  reveill6]  The  bugle-note  sounded  at  early  morning  to 
awaken  (French  riveiller)  soldiers  and  huntsmen. 

IV.    Boat  Song 
From  canto  11,  xix,  xx.    Sung  by  the  oarsmen  as  they  ferry 
Roderick  Dhu  in  his  galley  to  the  island.    Scott  imitated  the 


142  NOTES  pp.  43- 

measure  of  the  Highland  boat-songs,  sung  in  honour  of  a  favourite 
chief  and  'so  adapted  as  to  keep  time  to  the  sweep  of  the  oars.' 
The  metre  is  dactyUc,  i.e.  a  stressed  syllable,  at  the  point  where 
the  oars  strike  the  water,  is  followed  by  two  short  or  unstressed 
syllables. 

2.  the  ever-green  Pine]  The  emblem  of  Clan-Alpine.  It 
will  be  noticed  how  the  clansmen  identify  it,  as  savage  tribes  to- 
day identify  their  totems,  with  the  clan  itself  and  Roderick  as 
its  chieftain.  It  is  not  merely  an  emblem,  but  contains  the  soul 
of  the  clan  and  binds  its  members  in  special  bonds  of  relation- 
ship. 

3.  glances]  I.e.  as  the  folds  of  the  banner  are  moved  by  the 
wind. 

10.  The  Gaelic  title  of  the  chieftain  means  'Roderick  the 
black,  son  of  Alpine.'  Roderick  derives  his  surname  of  dhu  or  the 
black  from  his  dark  complexion.  '  Ho  !  ieroe  ! '  is  merely  the  long 
shout  of  the  rowers  in  time  with  the  oars. 

12.  Beltane]  The  festival  of  Beltane,  which  in  some  districts 
corresponded  with  Midsummer,  is  said  by  Pennant  in  his  Tour  in 
Scotland  to  have  been  held  in  the  Highlands  on  the  first  of  May, 
when  bonfires  were  lighted  and  the  peasantry  offered  cakes  of 
oatmeal  to  obtain  safety  for  their  crops  and  herds.  The  origin  of 
the  word  is  uncertain,  but  the  second  syllable  is  equivalent  to 
the  Celtic  word  for  'fire';  and  the  festival  appears  to  have 
originated  in  pagan  sacrifices  to  the  sun  when  entering  upon  the 
summer  solstice.   Cf.  The  Lady  of  the  Lake,  11,  xv: 

when  at  Beltane  game 
Thou  ledst  the  dance  with  Malcolm  Graeme, 

and  The  Lord  of  the  Isles,  i,  viii :  '  The  shepherd  lights  his  beltane 
fire.'    See  also  introd.  note  on  no.  iii,  p.  109  above. 

18.  Menteith  and  Breadalbane]  The  districts  of  Perthshire 
inhabited  by  the  clan  Alpine.  Menteith  is  the  south-west  part  of 
the  county  between  the  valley  of  the  Forth  and  the  head-waters 
of  the  Tay,  bordering  upon  Stirlingshire.  Breadalbane  includes  a 
large  part  of  western  and  central  Pertlishire,  north  and  east  of 


45  NOTES  143 

Menteith.  They  formed  two  of  the  old  territorial  divisions  of 
which  the  modern  Perthshire  consisted,  the  others  being  Athol  in 
the  north,  Methven  and  Perth  in  the  south,  and  Gowrie  and 
Stormont  in  the  east  and  south-east. 

21.  pibroch]    See  note  on  1.  15,  p.  141  above. 

Glen  Fruin]  The  Fruin  water  runs  into  Loch  Lomond  at  its 
south-west  corner.  Glen  Fruin  was  the  scene  of  a  battle  between 
the  Macgregors  and  Colquhouns  in  1602-3,  described  by  Scott  in 
a  note  to  the  present  passage.  The  Colquhouns  were  defeated 
with  great  bloodshed,  and,  according  to  one  tradition,  sir  Hum- 
phrey Colquhoun,  who  had  taken  refuge  in  the  castle  of  Ben- 
nachra  or  Bannochar  (1.  22)  in  the  glen,  was  dragged  out  and 
slaughtered  by  the  victorious  clan.  The  Macgregors  were  pro- 
scribed by  James  VI  as  a  result  of  this  conflict. 

22.  slogan]    See  note  on  1.  63,  p.  105  above. 

23.  Glen-Luss  and  Ross-dhu]  On  the  west  side  of  Loch 
Lomond.  Rossdhu  (the  black  promontory)  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Finlas  water,  two  miles  south  of  Luss,  is  the  seat  of  the  Colquhouns 
of  Luss. 

28.  Lennox  and  Leven-glen]  Lennox  is  the  old  division  of 
Scotland  corresponding  to  Dumbartonshire  and  a  large  part  of 
Stirlingshire,  with  portions  of  the  adjacent  counties,  and  includ- 
ing most  of  Loch  Lomond.  The  Leven  is  the  river  which  forms 
the  southern  outlet  of  Loch  Lomond  and  enters  the  Clyde  at 
Dumbarton. 

35.  some  seedling  gem]  The  oarsmen  allude  to  the  prospect 
of  a  marriage  between  Roderick  and  Ellen. 

V.    The  Fiery  Cross 

From  canto  iii,  xv-xviii.  The  cross  of  yew,  smeared  with  the 
blood  of  a  sacrificed  goat,  and  with  its  ends  charred  with  the 
flame  of  the  sacrificial  fire,  is  sent  out  as  the  summons  of  muster 
to  Clan-Alpine.  It  is  carried  eastward  from  the  island  on  Loch 
Katrine  by  Malise  to  Duncraggan,  between  Loch  Achray  and 
Loch  Vennachar.  Here  he  resigns  it,  as  is  told  in  the  present 
passage,  to  Angus,  who  takes  it  to  St  Bride's  chapel  at  the  foot 


144  NOTES  pp.  45- 

of  Loch  Lubnaig  and  interrupts  the  marriage  of  Norman  and 
Mary.  Norman  carries  it  northward  and,  turning  westward  from 
Strathyre  along  Loch  Voil  and  Loch  Doine,  bears  it  down  Strath 
Gartney,  on  the  northern  bank  of  Loch  Katrine,  to  the  original 
starting-point. 

I.    the  lake]    Loch  Achray. 

22.  coronach]  Gaelic  corranach  =a  funeral  song,  literally,  '  a 
cry  together.'  Scott's  poem  Glenfinlas ;  or  Lord  Ronald's  Coronach 
has  its  scene  in  this  same  district,  Duncraggan  being  at  the  foot 
of  Glen  Finglas. 

27.  font]  Fountain.  Cf.  Marmion,  vi,  xxxvii:  'her  font  of 
stone.' 

39.  correi]  Gaelic  coire  —  a.  cauldron.  Applied  to  a  hollow  in 
a  mountain,  '  the  hollow  side  of  the  hill,  where  the  game  usually 
lies'  (Scott). 

40.  cumber]    Circumstances  of  trouble  or  perplexity. 
47.    Stumah]    '  Faithful.  The  name  of  a  dog  '  (Scott). 

61.  Lanrick  mead]  A  flat  meadow  near  the  head  of  Loch 
Vennachar,  lying  south-east  of  Duncraggan. 

VI.    The  Ambuscade 
From  canto  v,  ix,  x.  The  circumstances  are  summarised  in  the 
introductory  note,  pp.  135,  136  above.  They  follow  upon  Fitz- 
James'  words  to  his  unknown  guide: 

For  love-lorn  swain,  in  lady's  bower. 
Ne'er  panted  for  the  appointed  hour. 
As  I,  until  before  me  stand 
The  rebel  Chieftain  and  his  band. 

28.  Benledi's  living  side]  Ben  Ledi  (the  hill  of  God)  is  the 
mountain  which  divides  Loch  Vennachar  and  the  river  Teith 
from  Loch  Lubnaig  and  the  river  Leny.  The  rivers  meet  at 
Callander,  near  the  foot  of  the  triangular  promontory  formed  by 
the  mountain.  'Living,'  because  the  side  of  the  mountain  is 
suddenly  alive  with  Roderick's  clansmen. 

32.  Saxon]  Inhabitant  of  the  Lowlands,  of  English  stock,  as 
opposed  to  the  Celtic  Highlander  north  of  the  Forth. 


51  NOTES  145 

58.  from... glaive,  from  targe  and  jack]  The  glaive  is  the 
broadsword,  the  targe  is  the  circular  shield,  which  formed  part  of 
the  Highlander's  armour.  The  jack  is  the  defensive  coat,  made  of 
stuffed  leather  or  other  stout  material,  worn  on  the  upper  part 
of  the  body  and  frequently  called  the  haketon  (Fr.  hacqueton) . 

VII.    The  Ride  to  Stirling 

From  canto  v,  xviii.  This  fine  example  of  Scott's  power  of 
describing  swift  movement,  aided  by  his  intimate  knowledge  and 
love  of  Scottish  topography,  follows  the  combat  between  Fitz- 
James  and  Roderick.  Fitz-James  and  two  of  his  esquires,  De 
Vaux  and  Herries,  ride  in  haste  to  take  part  in  the  games  at 
Stirling,  while  Herbert  and  Luffness  follow  with  the  wounded 
Roderick.  The  route  described  follows  the  road  from  Coilantogle 
ford,  at  the  foot  of  Loch  Vennachar,  where  the  riders  cross  the 
Teith  (1.  15).  The  distance  to  Stirhng  is  about  eighteen  miles. 
Scott  tells  us  in  his  preface  that  he  made  a  special  journey  to  see 
whether  it  was  possible  to  ride  the  distance  in  the  time  indicated 
in  the  poem,  i.e.  between  about  10  a.m.  and  noon. 

9.    armed]    With  the  spur. 

16.  Carhonie]  Now  called  Gartchonzie,  a  little  way  below 
the  ford. 

21.  Torry  and  Lendrick]  On  the  Teith,  between  Callander 
and  Doune.  Lendrick,  now  called  Lanrick,  castle,  is  to  be  dis- 
tinguished from  Lanrick  on  Loch  Vennachar  (see  note  on  1.  61, 
p.  144  above). 

22.  Deanstown]  Deanston  is  south-west  of  Doune,  which  the 
riders  passed  on  their  left  hand. 

23.  the  banner'd  towers  of  Doune]  Doune  castle,  begun 
early  in  the  fifteenth  century  by  Robert,  duke  of  Albany  (d.  1420), 
brother  of  king  Robert  III,  stands  at  the  confluence  of  the  Teith 
and  Ardoch,  eight  miles  from  Stirhng.  On  the  execution  of 
Murdoch,  duke  of  Albany,  in  1425,  it  passed  to  the  Crown. 
Margaret  Tudor,  sister  of  Henry  VIII,  and  wife  of  James  IV, 
who  held  it  by  grant  of  her  husband,  married  as  her  third  husband 
Henry  Stewart,  lord  Methven,  to  a  younger  brother  of  whom  she 

T.  s.  10 


146  NOTES  pp,  51- 

granted  the  castle.  By  the  marriage  of  his  descendant,  the  second 
lord  Doune,  with  the  daughter  of  the  regent  Moray,  it  passed 
into  the  hands  of  the  earls  of  Moray. 

25.  Blair-Drummond]  This  and  the  places  mentioned  in 
11.  26,  28  are  country  seats  between  Doune  and  Stirling.  Ochter- 
tyre  (1.  26)  belonged  to  Scott's  friend,  John  Ramsay.  Kier  (1.  28). 
at  some  distance  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  Teith,  was  the  seat 
of  the  Stirhngs :  its  '  lofty  brow '  was  the  site  of  an  ancient  camp 
or  fort  (caer),  from  which  it  derived  its  name. 

30.  Dark  Forth]  The  Forth  is  crossed  just  below  its  junction 
with  the  Teith,  two  miles  above  Stirling. 

33.  Craig-Fcrth]  An  isolated  hill  of  ironstone  rock  on  the 
right  bank  of  the  Forth,  west  of  Stirling. 

35.  Grey  Stirling]  The  town  of  Stirling  occupies  the  slope 
of  a  high  rock  of  basalt,  on  the  summit  of  which  is  the  castle. 
King  James  V  was  born  in  Stirling  castle  and,  towards  the  close 
of  his  reign,  began  the  royal  palace  within  its  walls.  The  im- 
portance of  Stirhng  in  Scottish  history  is  expressed  in  1.  34 :  it  was 
the  key  to  the  Highlands  on  the  one  hand,  while,  on  the  other 
hand,  it  formed,  as  at  the  time  of  the  battle  of  Bannockburn,  a 
formidable  bar  to  English  invasion. 

VIII.    Allan-Bane's  Lament 

From  canto  vi,  xxii.  Sung  by  the  harper  beside  the  corpse  of 
Roderick  Dhu  in  his  prison  at  Stirling. 

3.  Breadalbane's  boast]    See  note  on  I.  18,  p.  142  above. 
Clan-Alpine's  shade]    See  note  on  1.  2,  p.  142  above. 

4.  requiem]  A  mass  for  the  dead,  so  called  from  the  first 
word  of  the  introit.  Requiem  eternani  dona  eis,  Domine  (grant 
them  eternal  rest,  O  Lord). 

6.  Bothwell's  house]  See  note  on  1.  56,  p.  128  above.  Scott 
makes  the  banished  Douglas  head  of  his  family  and  lord  of  Both- 
well,  for  which  he  had  no  authority  in  history. 

24.    Even  she]    I.e.  Ellen. 


55  NOTES  147 

IX.  Lay  of  the  Imprisonad  Huntsman 
From  canto  vi,  xxiv.  Malcolm  Graeme,  a  ward  of  the  Crown 
of  Scotland,  has  escaped  to  the  Highlands  and  spent  his  unlicensed 
liberty  with  the  fugitives  on  the  island.  On  his  voluntary  return 
to  Stirling  to  plead  their  cause,  he  is  imprisoned  in  the  castle, 
and  Ellen,  while  waiting  for  her  interview  with  the  king,  over- 
hears him  singing  this  song. 

10.  yon  deep  steeple]  The  steeple  of  the  Greyfriars  church, 
which  stands  at  the  head  of  the  town  of  Stirling,  below  the 
esplanade  of  the  castle. 

X.    Farewell 

The  concluding  stanzas  of  The  Lady  of  the  Lake  resume  the 
theme  of  the  opening  invocation:  see  notes  on  p.  138  above. 

5.  thy  wizard  elm]  The  phrase  confirms  the  double  sense  of 
'  witch-elm '  in  the  invocation  which  preludes  the  poem :  see  note 
on  1.  2,  p.  138  above,  and  cf.  'witch-note'  in  1.  26  below. 

13.  an  idle  lay]  WiUiam  Morris,  in  the  envoi  to  The  Earthly 
Paradise,  addresses  his  book  of  romantic  poetry  in  similar  terms : 

I  love  thee,  whatso  time  or  men  may  say 
Of  the  poor  singer  of  an  empty  lay. 

EXTRACTS  FROM  ROKEBY 
Rokeby,  Scott's  fourth  romance  in  verse,  was  published  in 
January  1813,  with  a  dedication  to  his  friend  John  Bacon  Sawrey 
Morritt,  the  owner  of  the  estate  which  gives  its  name  to  the  poem. 
The  village  and  park  of  Rokeby,  the  old  pronunciation  of  which, 
now  dying  out,  is  'Rookby,'  are  on  the  south  bank  of  the  Tees, 
3^  miles  south-east  of  Barnard  Castle.  The  western  boundary  of 
the  park  is  formed  by  the  river  Greta,  which  joins  the  Tees  at  its 
foot.  Scott  first  visited  Rokeby  in  June  i8og:  he  described  it  as 
'one  of  the  most  enviable  places  I  have  ever  seen,  as  it  unites 
the  richness  and  luxuriance  of  English  vegetation  with  the 
romantic  variety  of  glen,  torrent,  and  copse,  which  dignifies  our 
northern  scenery.'  He  disclosed  his  plan  for  the  poem  to  Morritt 
in  a  letter  written  on  20  Dec.  181 1;  and  during  its  composition 

10 — 2 


148  NOTES  p. 

he  was  supplied  by  Morritt  with  much  local  and  historical  in- 
formation. 

The  date  of  the  story  is  July  1644.  On  3  July,  the  battle  of 
Marston  moor  had  been  fought.  The  knight  of  Rokeby  has  joined 
the  royal  army,  while  his  brother-in-law,  Philip  of  Mortham,  the 
owner  of  an  estate  upon  the  side  of  the  Greta,  has  fought  with 
Fairfax  upon  the  side  of  the  parliament.  Oswald  Wycliffe,  who 
holds  Barnard  Castle  for  the  parliament,  is  next  heir  to  Mortham, 
and  has  bribed  a  soldier  of  fortune,  Bertram  Risingham,  who  is 
an  old  companion  of  Mortham's  in  foreign  travel  and  is  fighting 
under  his  command,  to  kill  him  treacherously.  Bertram  arrives 
at  Barnard  Castle  by  night,  where  Oswald  is  anxiously  awaiting 
him.  He  has  slain  Mortham  in  the  confusion  of  the  battle,  when 
the  parliamentary  forces  were  broken  by  prince  Rupert's  charge, 
and  has  escaped  before  the  issue  is  certain.  The  lands  of  Mortham 
go  to  Oswald,  while  Bertram  claims  the  hidden  treasure  brought 
by  Philip  from  his  wanderings  in  South  America.  Unwilling  to 
trust  his  accomplice,  he  proposes  to  seek  the  treasure  and  take 
it  with  him  to  his  home  in  Northumberland.  Oswald  sends  with 
him  as  a  guide  his  own  son  and  heir  Wilfrid,  a  poetic  youth,  who, 
by  his  father's  design  and  his  own  inclination,  is  a  suitor  for  the 
hand  of  Matilda,  the  heiress  of  Rokeby.  In  canto  11  Bertram  and 
Wilfrid  set  out  together.  In  the  dark  glen  of  the  Greta  Bertram 
realises  that  they  are  being  dogged  and  pursues  the  form  of  their 
follower  up  the  steep  bank  below  Mortham  tower.  There  it 
vanishes,  and,  beside  the  tomb  which  is  supposed  to  contain  the 
treasure,  Bertram  first  ascribes  his  vision  to  the  ghost-story 
associated  with  the  place,  and  then,  struck  by  conscience,  reveals 
the  fact  that  the  shape  was  that  of  Mortham  himself,  and  that 
he  has  slain  him.  Wilfrid,  horror-stricken,  calls  for  help  and 
draws  his  sword  upon  Bertram,  but  is  saved  from  his  unequal 
foe  by  the  sudden  interposition  of  Mortham,  who  is  really  alive. 
Mortham  allows  Bertram  to  escape,  but  charges  Wilfrid  to  keep 
his  secret  and  disappears.  Meanwhile,  news  has  come  to  Barnard 
Castle  that  the  king  has  lost  the  day  and  the  knight  of  Rokeby 
has  been  sent  as  a  prisoner  to  Oswald's  charge.   As  Wilfrid  stands 


55  NOTES  149 

alone  in  the  early  summer  morning  before  the  deserted  Mortham 
tower,  Oswald  and  his  men,  with  whom  is  the  messenger  Red- 
mond, Rokeby's  page,  arrive.  Wilfrid  tells  his  father  of  Bertram's 
confession  and  escape.  Oswald  says  that  pursuit  is  vain;  but 
Redmond,  in  spite  of  the  hostility  between  Mortham  and  Rokeby, 
leads  some  of  his  followers  to  track  the  fugitive,  and  Oswald  feels 
himself  forced  to  promise  a  reward  to  the  slayer  of  Bertram,  who 
must  not  be  brought  back  alive.  He  is  relieved  to  see  them  return 
without  result,  and  tells  Wilfrid  the  news  of  Rokeby's  capture. 
The  prisoner's  ransom  is  to  be  the  marriage  of  Matilda  to  the 
heir  of  Wycliffe. 

Canto  III  follows  the  fortunes  of  Bertram.  Hard  beset  by  his 
pursuers  and  harbouring  thoughts  of  revenge  against  Oswald, 
Wilfrid  and  Redmond,  he  is  lying  hidden  in  the  woods  of  Scargill 
beside  the  Greta,  when  he  meets  another  ruffian,  Guy  Denzil, 
formerly  one  of  Rokeby's  men-at-arms,  and  now  the  captain  of  a 
band  of  freebooters  who  make  their  head-quarters  in  a  cave  in 
Brignall  banks,  just  across  the  river.  Here  Denzil  guides  Bertram, 
and,  amid  the  revelry  of  their  companions,  reveals  to  him  that 
the  treasure  of  Mortham  is  no  longer  there.  Mortham,  in  his 
widowed  soUtude,  has  learned  to  confide  in  his  niece  Matilda  and 
has  made  her  heiress  to  his  treasure,  which  is  now  in  a  vault  at 
Rokeby.  They  plan  an  attack  upon  the  house,  to  carry  off  Matilda 
and  the  plunder.  A  spy  brings  the  news  that  Matilda  has  been 
seen  in  the  glen  of  Thorsgill,  attended  by  Wilfrid  and  Redmond. 

The  scene  in  canto  iv  changes  to  Thorsgill,  and  a  digression 
explains  the  origin  of  the  page  Redmond  O'Neale,  the  grandson 
of  an  Irish  chieftain.  During  the  rebelhon  of  the  O'Neales,  the 
grandfather  had  taken  sir  Richard  Rokeby  and  Mortham 
prisoners  and  treated  them  kindly;  and  at  the  end  of  his  Hfe  he 
sent  the  boy  to  England,  to  be  brought  up  by  Rokeby.  Matilda 
and  Redmond  were  educated  together  and  are  in  love  with  each 
other;  but,  when  Oswald  first  pressed  his  son's  suit,  sir  Richard 
favoured  it  and  the  two  lovers  were  separated.  On  the  outbreak 
of  war,  however,  Rokeby  swore  that  no  rebel's  son  should  wed 
his  heir,  and  Redmond  has  behaved  gallantly  beside  his  master 


150  NOTES  p. 

at  Marston  moor.  In  Thorsgill  Matilda  tells  Redmond  and  Wilfrid 
the  story  of  the  treasure  confided  to  her  charge  by  Mortham  and 
reads  them,  from  a  scroll  which  he  has  given  her,  the  narrative 
of  his  tragic  life,  the  tale  of  his  false  friend,  his  accidental  murder 
of  his  own  wife  with  the  shaft  levelled  at  her  supposed  lover,  the 
abduction  of  his  infant  son,  his  wanderings  abroad  and  his  return 
to  avenge  his  wife's  death  upon  the  traitor.  Mercy,  however,  has 
prevailed  over  vengeance,  and  the  scroll  concludes  with  the  com- 
mission of  the  treasure  to  Matilda  in  trust  for  his  lost  heir:  if  it 
is  unclaimed  within  three  years,  it  will  pass  to  her  uncondition- 
ally. During  part  of  the  tale,  Bertram  and  Denzil  have  been 
lying  hid  close  by,  and  twice  a  chance  movement  of  Matilda's 
has  shielded  Redmond  from  Bertram's  carbine.  They  hear  an 
armed  force  in  the  dell  and  go  back  to  their  cave  without  hearing 
the  end  of  Mortham's  scroll.  Matilda,  determining  that  her  place 
is  with  her  father  in  captivity,  entrusts  the  treasure  to  Wilfrid. 
The  soldiers  who  now  arrive  have  been  opportunely  told  of  the 
ambush  laid  by  the  freebooters  and  have  come  out  of  their  way 
to  bring  help.  The  carbine,  left  behind  by  Bertram  and  Denzil, 
is  discovered;  and,  while  Matilda  goes  to  Rokeby  under  Red- 
mond's escort,  Wilfrid  goes  to  find  men  to  help  him  convey  her 
and  her  treasure  to  Barnard  Castle. 

In  canto  v  Wilfrid  arrives  at  Rokeby  by  moonlight:  he  and 
Redmond  have  laid  aside  their  rivalry  to  join  in  aiding  Matilda. 
A  wandering  harper  comes  to  the  hall-door.  In  spite  of  the 
porter's  unwillingness,  Matilda  and  the  two  youths,  lovers  of  song 
and  poets  themselves,  admit  him  to  the  hall,  where  he  plays 
before  the  household.  He  is  actually  Edmund  of  Winston,  the 
youngest  and  most  daring  of  Denzil's  band,  whose  songs  have 
been  heard  already  in  canto  iii.  Matilda  takes  the  harp  and  sings 
a  farewell  to  Rokeby,  which  causes  Edmund  to  relent.  He  delays 
to  give  the  signal  for  the  robbers  and  tries  to  gain  time  for  Wil- 
frid's men  to  arrive.  But  Bertram  is  already  in  the  hall  with  his 
band.  In  the  confusion  which  follows,  Wilfrid  carries  Matilda  in 
safety  through  a  secret  passage  to  the  wood  outside,  but  returns 
to  seek  and  help  Redmond.    A  furious  fight  takes  place  in  the 


55  NOTES  151 

hall  between  the  robbers  and  the  troops  from  Barnard  Castle. 
Wilfrid  is  wounded,  but  Redmond  leads  the  rescuers  to  victory: 
Denzil  and  Edmund  are  taken  alive,  the  rest  of  the  marauders 
are  slain  except  Bertram,  who  once  more  escapes  through  the 
thick  of  his  enemies.  While  the  castle  of  Rokeby,  set  on  fire,  is 
toppling  to  ruin,  Redmond  rides  to  Barnard  Castle  with  Matilda 
and  the  almost  lifeless  Wilfrid. 

Three  nights  later,  in  canto  vi,  Edmund,  who  has  escaped  from 
imprisonment,  makes  his  way  back  to  the  robbers'  cave.  Here 
he  digs  in  the  floor  and,  as  he  unearths  and  opens  a  steel  casket, 
his  shoulder  is  seized  by  Bertram,  who  compels  him  to  tell  the 
story  of  his  escape.  Edmund  has  been  freed  by  the  treachery  of 
Oswald  Wycliffe,  who,  anxious  to  get  Rokeby  more  closely  into 
his  power,  has  suborned  Denzil  and  Edmund  to  bear  witness  to  a 
supposed  royalist  conspiracy  for  seizing  Barnard  Castle.  Rokeby, 
hitherto  a  prisoner  at  large,  has  been  thrown  into  chains,  and 
Oswald  has  ordered  all  suspected  cavaliers  to  appear  next  day  at 
noon  in  the  abbey  church  of  Egglestone  at  the  foot  of  Thorsgill. 
But,  while  Oswald  is  giving  these  commands,  a  letter  has  been 
brought  him,  in  which  he  reads  that  Mortham  is  still  alive.  The 
letter  upbraids  him  with  his  treachery,  but  Mortham  will  allow 
Oswald  to  have  his  lands,  provided  that  Oswald  restores  him  his 
heir.  At  this  point,  Denzil  discloses  the  fact  that  Redmond  is  the 
heir  of  Mortham.  His  mother  was  an  O'Neale:  his  Irish  grand- 
father took  him  away  and  sent  him  back  to  Rokeby.  The  proof 
is  the  casket  which  Denzil  found  on  the  night  when  Redmond 
was  brought  to  the  hall.  Edmund,  whom  Denzil  alleges  to  be 
his  son  and  gives  as  a  pledge  for  his  own  safety,  has  been  sent 
to  find  the  casket  and  to  deliver  a  treacherous  letter  from  Wycliffe 
to  Mortham  in  his  hiding-place.  Bertram  takes  the  letter  from 
Edmund  and  tears  it  in  pieces;  but  Edmund  has  already  deter- 
mined to  tell  Mortham  the  truth,  and  has  very  little  care  for 
the  safety  of  the  ruffian  Denzil,  whose  life  depends  upon  him. 
Bertram,  who  has  been  throughout  the  tool  of  Oswald  in  his 
designs  on  Mortham,  now  will  do  all  he  can  to  undo  the  wrong. 
He  will  not  look  upon  Mortham's  face,  but  sends  him  a  message 


152  NOTES  pp.  55- 

of  repentance  and  tells  him  to  get  together  his  troops  at  Richmond 
and  lead  them  to  meet  Oswald  at  Egglestone.  Meanwhile,  Oswald 
has  discovered  that  Denzil,  in  declaring  Edmund  his  son,  has 
lied  to  him,  and  suspects  that  Edmund  has  been  sent  to  warn 
Mortham  of  the  truth.  He  orders  Denzil  to  execution  and  flatters 
himself  that  he  can  outwit  any  attempt  on  Mortham's  part.  A 
scaffold  has  been  reared  at  Egglestone  abbey,  on  which  Rokeby 
and  Redmond  will  suffer,  unless  Matilda  consents  to  marry 
Wilfrid.  But  Rokeby,  face  to  face  with  death,  refuses  to  counten- 
ance his  daughter's  marriage  with  the  son  of  a  traitor;  and,  while 
Redmond  offers  his  own  life  as  a  substitute  for  Rokeby's,  Matilda 
casts  the  burden  of  her  decision  upon  Wilfrid,  who  generously 
surrenders  his  suit  and  dies  at  her  feet.  Oswald,  with  his  hopes 
thus  baffled,  in  fury  orders  the  instant  death  of  Rokeby  and 
Redmond;  but  at  this  point  Bertram  rides  into  the  abbey  ruins 
and  shoots  his  former  accomplice.  He  himself  is  borne  down  and 
killed  by  Wycliffe's  men;  and,  now  that  Nemesis  has  done  her 
work  and  every  obstacle  is  removed,  Mortham  arrives  to  greet 
his  lost  son;  and,  in  the  course  of  the  next  month,  Redmond  and 
Matilda  are  betrothed. 

Scott,  in  his  preface  to  the  edition  of  1830,  recognised  that  the 
comparative  failure  of  Rokeby  was  due,  in  the  first  place,  to  the 
fact  that  the  public  was  less  interested  in  Cavaliers  and  Round- 
heads than  in  Highlanders,  and,  secondly,  to  the  want  of  novelty 
in  the  form  of  the  poem.  The  popularity  of  Rokeby  has  never  been 
great :  the  story,  though  well  planned,  is  unreal  and  its  characters 
conventional;  and  the  verse  is  fluent  to  the  point  of  being  undis- 
tinguished. In  two  points,  however,  it  preserves  the  level  of  the 
earlier  narratives.  Its  descriptive  and  landscape  passages  are 
beautiful  and  faithful,  and  it  contains  some  of  the  lightest  and 
most  graceful  lyrics  which  Scott  wrote. 

I.    Dawn  and  Sunrise 

From  canto  11,  i-iii.  The  dawn  of  the  morning  when  Bertram, 
guided  by  Wilfrid,  is  on  his  way  to  Mortham,  described  from  the 
neighbourhood  of  Barnard  Castle.  The  castle,   which  gives  its 


56  NOTES  153 

name  to  the  town,  is  on  the  edge  of  a  steep  cHff  on  the  left  bank 
of  the  Tees,  in  county  Durham.  It  was  founded  by  Bernard 
BaHol  in  the  twelfth  century,  from  whom  it  derived  its  title  of 
Bernard's  castle.  In  1644,  the  date  of  the  poem,  it  had  been  dis- 
mantled for  some  years:  it  then  belonged  to  sir  Henry  Vane,  the 
owner  of  Raby  castle,  whose  grandson  Christopher  was  created 
baron  Barnard  of  Barnard  Castle.  The  property  and  title 
descended  to  his  heirs,  represented  by  the  present  lord  Barnard. 

6.  Brusleton  and  Houghton  height]  The  hills  of  Brusselton 
and  Houghton  (Houghton-le-Side)  are  some  ten  to  twelve  miles 
north-east  of  Barnard  Castle,  between  Darlington  and  Bishop 
Auckland. 

7.  the  rich  dale]  The  broad  expanse  of  lower  Teesdale,  which 
widens  out  below  Barnard  Castle  and  Rokeby. 

1 1 .  Stanmore]  The  bleak  ridge  of  Stainmore  common — the 
stony  moor — which,  rising  west  of  Barnard  Castle,  divides  the 
valley  of  the  Tees  from  that  of  the  Eden. 

12.  Lunedale  wild]  The  Lune  rises  in  Lune  forest,  at  the 
foot  of  Mickle  fell,  and  enters  the  Tees  near  Middleton-in-Tees- 
dale,  north-west  of  Barnard  Castle.  Kelton  fell  is  on  the  south 
side  of  Lunedale. 

13.  Gilmanscar]    Near  Gilmonby,  in  the  parish  of  Bowes. 

14.  Arkingarth]  Arkengarthdale  moor  is  south  of  Stainmore, 
and  forms  its  continuation,  separating  the  basin  of  the  Tees  from 
the  valley  of  the  Swale.  The  view,  as  described,  embraces  an 
amphitheatre  of  hills  from  the  Lune  on  the  north-west  to  the 
Swale  on  the  south-west. 

15.  a  livelier  t'wilight]  The  twilight  of  dawn,  with  its 
promise  of  the  coming  day,  following  the  uncertain  light  which 
heralds  daybreak. 

16.  banner'd  walls]  Cf.  '  the  banner'd  towers  of  Doune,' 
1.  23,  p.  145  above,  and  Bridal  of  Triermain,  i,  xiii:  'But  the  grey 
walls  no  banners  crown'd.' 

26.  Brackenbury's  dungeon-tower]  For  '  dungeon-tower  ' 
see  note  on  'the  donjon  keep,'  1.  4,  p.  119  above.  Brackenbury's 
tower  is  a  rectangular  tower  on  the  outer  wall  of  the  castle  en- 


154  NOTES  pp.  56- 

closure,  on  the  side  next  the  town.  It  belongs  to  the  earliest  part 
of  the  castle,  but  was  not  the  'dungeon-tower'  or  keep.  Sir 
Robert  Brackenbury,  killed  at  Bosworth,  was  a  favourite  of 
Richard  III,  who  succeeded  to  Barnard  Castle  by  his  marriage 
with  Anne  Neville  and  did  much  to  repair  it. 

30.  That  mighty  trench  of  living  stone]  The  Tees  'flows  in 
a  deep  trench  of  solid  rock,  chiefly  limestone  and  marble '  (Scott) . 

38.  marble  grey]  Scott  quotes  Leland's  mention  of  the 
marble  in  the  gorge  of  the  Tees  at  Egglestone,  which  was  quarried 
by  local  'marbelers,'  who  partly  wrought  it  and  partly  sold  it 
unwrought  to  others. 

43.  Staindrop]  Staindrop,  in  co.  Durham,  is  a  village 
five  miles  east  of  Barnard  Castle,  on  the  road  to  Darlington  and 
on  the  edge  of  the  park  of  Raby  castle.  The  brook  is  called  the 
Langley  beck.  The  church  of  Staindrop  was  made  collegiate  by 
Ralph  Neville,  first  earl  of  Westmorland,  the  Westmoreland  of 
Shakespeare's  Henry  V,  whose  beautiful  monument  is  in  the  south 
aisle. 

44.  Raby's  battled  towers]  For  '  battled  '  see  note  on  1.  4, 
p.  1 19  above.  The  magnificent  castle  of  Raby,  on  the  northern  slope 
of  the  vale  of  Tees,  overlooking  'the  rich  dale'  of  1.  7  above,  was 
one  of  the  chief  strongholds  of  the  Nevilles,  who  forfeited  it  by 
the  attainder  of  the  sixth  earl  of  Westmorland  in  1569.  It  was 
bought  from  the  Crown  by  sir  Henry  Vane  in  the  time  of  James  I, 
and  the  building,  a  great  part  of  which  is  of  the  fourteenth 
century,  is  still  inhabited  by  his  descendants. 

45.  Egliston]  Egglestone  abbey,  the  ruins  of  which  are  on 
the  right  bank  of  the  Tees,  south-east  of  Barnard  Castle,  was 
founded  for  Premonstratensian  canons  in  the  twelfth  century. 
The  'rural  brook'  is  the  Thorsgill  beck,  which  meets  the  Tees 
here.    See  note  on  1.  50  below. 

46.  Balder]  The  Balder  rises  in  Stainmore  and  joins  the  Tees 
midway  between  Barnard  Castle  and  Middleton-in-Teesdale. 
Balder  was  the  mythical  Scandinavian  sun-god,  the  son  of  Odin, 
slain  by  the  mistletoe  shaft  with  which  his  blind  brother  Hodur 
had  been  armed  by  the  treacherous  Lok. 


57  NOTES  155 

47.  Greta]  The  Greta,  which  also  rises  in  Stainmore,  enters 
the  Tees  at  the  foot  of  Rokeby  park.  The  meeting  of  the  rivers 
is  the  subject  of  one  of  Turner's  beautiful  drawings  of  Yorkshire 
scenery,  which  illustrate  Whitaker's  History  of  Richmondshire. 

49.  Lune]    See  note  on  1.  12  above. 

50.  Thorsgill]  Scott  had  already  accounted  for  the  Thorsgill 
beck  in  1.  45  above.  It  is  possible  that  in  that  passage  he  con- 
founded Egglestone  with  Cotherstone  (the  stone  of  St  Cuthbert, 
one  of  the  traditional  resting-places  of  the  saint's  coffin:  see  note 
on  11.  3-26,  p.  123  above),  which  is  north  of  Barnard  Castle,  and 
may  have  been  thinking  of  the  local  stream,  the  Crook  beck. 

52.  Deepdale]  The  Deepdale  beck,  flowing  through  a  narrow 
wooded  glade,  joins  the  Tees  just  above  Barnard  Castle. 

53.  dim-wood  glen]    Cf.  1.  16,  p.  130  above. 

54.  Roslin's  magic  glade]  The  glen  of  the  North  Esk  at 
Rosslyn:  see  introd.  note  and  note  on  1.  32,  pp.  112,  113  above. 
Scott,  writing  to  George  Ellis,  8  July,  1809,  says:  'The  banks  of 
the  Tees  resemble,  from  the  height  of  the  rocks,  the  glen  of 
Roslin,  so  much  and  justly  admired.' 

57.  Cartland's  Crags]  Cartland  crags  are  a  series  of  pre- 
cipitous rocks  in  the  gorge  of  the  Mouse  water,  a  tributary  of  the 
Clyde,  close  to  Lanark.  They  are  well  described  by  Dorothy 
Wordsworth  in  her  Journals:  she  visited  them  with  her  brother 
and  Coleridge  on  21  Aug.  1803. 

59.  Albin]  Scotland.  Albin=:the  mountainous  country. 
Scott  implies  that,  though  the  scenery  of  Teesdale  may  be  as 
beautiful  as  that  of  Scotland,  yet  it  lacks  the  unique  charm  of 
his  native  land,  where  '  every  field  has  its  battle,  and  every 
rivulet  its  song.' 

64.  thy  champion  brave]  William  Wallace,  who,  at  the 
beginning  of  his  exploits  against  England,  took  refuge  from  the 
governor  of  Lanark  among  the  caves  of  Cartland  crags.  See 
Scott,  Tales  of  a  Grandfather,  series  i,  ch.  vii. 


156  NOTES  pp.  57- 

II.    Edmund's  Songs 
From  canto  iii,   xvi-xviii,  xxviii,  xxx.    Sung  by  the  young 
outlaw,  Edmund  of  Winston,  in  the  cave  on  Brignall  banks. 

(I) 

1.  Brignal  banks]  The  wooded  left  bank  of  the  Greta. 
The  village  of  Brignal  stands  above  the  river,  about  a  mile  from 
Greta  Bridge,  famous  in  Dickens'  Nicholas  Nickleby,  which  is  at 
the  south-east  corner  of  Rokeby  park. 

2.  Greta  -woods]  The  right  bank  of  the  Greta,  opposite 
Brignal,  is  covered  with  the  woods  of  Scargill,  mentioned  in 
Macaulay's  lines  on  the  exiled  cavalier,  who 

Heard  in  Laverna  Scargill's  whispering  breeze, 
And  pin'd  by  Arno  for  his  lovelier  Tees. 

5.  Dalton-hall]  Dalton  is  a  village  about  six  miles  south 
of  Rokeby. 

14.  to-wn]  In  the  old  sense  of  '  an  inhabited  place,'  applied 
to  any  village  irrespective  of  its  size.  Cf.  Chaucer,  Cant.  Tales, 
A  478:  'a  povre  Persoun  of  a  toun.'  'Tower  and  town'  here 
represent  civilised  life  as  opposed  to  the  freebooter's  haunts  of 
'dale  and  down.'  Scott  used  the  phrase  'tower  and  town'  as  a 
conventional  ornament:  e.g.  Marmion,  i,  xi:  'Tamworth  tower 
and  town';  Bridal  of  Triermain,  i,  xvii:  'Carlisle  tower  and  town.' 

27.  ranger]  An  official  sworn  to  range,  i.e  walk  about,  a 
park,  in  order  to  prevent  trespass.  At  a  hunt  the  ranger's  duty 
was  to  beat  the  woods  for  a  deer  and  report  where  he  had  lodged 
or  harboured  one. 

37.  musketoon]  Fr.  mousqueton,  a  small  musket  or  hand- 
gun, shorter  in  the  barrel  than  an  ordinary  musket. 

41.  tuck]  The  beat  of  a  drum,  from  ioquer,  a  variant  of  Fr. 
toucher. 

43.  wlien  the  beetle  sounds  his  hum]  I.e.  at  nightfall.  Cf. 
Shakespeare,  Macbeth,  in,  ii,  42: 

ere  to  black  Hecate's  summons 
The  shard-borne  beetle  with  his  drowsy  hums 
Hath  rung  night's  yawning  peal. 


6 1  NOTES  157 

47.    mickle]    Much. 

51.    The  fiend]    Will  o'  the  wisp. 

(2) 

The  song  was  suggested  to  Scott  by  a  reminiscence  of  an  old 

Jacobite  ballad,  the  third  stanza  of  which,  borrowed  in  11.  15-20, 

runs: 

He  turn'd  him  round  and  right  about, 

All  on  the  Irish  shore. 

He  gave  his  bridle-reins  a  shake. 

With,  Adieu  for  evermore. 

My  dear ! 

Adieu  for  evermore ! 

7.  the  Lincoln  green]  The  colour  of  the  doublet  worn  by 
huntsmen  and  foresters.  Cf.  The  Lady  of  the  Lake,  iv,  xvi:  'His 
hunting  suit  of  Lincoln  green.' 

12.  fain]    Fain  to  burst  into  flower. 

(3) 

I.  AUen-a-Dale]  I.e.  Allen  of  the  Dale.  English  surnames 
such  as  Dale,  Moore,  are  abbreviated  forms  of  'o'  the  Dale,'  'o' 
the  Moor,'  in  which  they  frequently  occur  in  old  documents. 

7.  The  Baron  of  Ravensworth]  Ravensworth  castle,  be- 
tween Richmond  and  Barnard  Castle,  was  the  seat  of  the  Fitz- 
hughs.  It  came  by  marriage  in  the  reign  of  Henry  VII  to  the 
family  of  Fiennes,  lords  Dacre  of  the  South  (1.  12) ;  but  they  had 
ceased  to  own  it  a  century  before  the  date  of  Rokeby. 

8.  Arkindale]  Arkengarthdale.  See  note  on  1.  14,  p.  153 
above. 

13.  belted]  The  sword-belt  or  cincture  was  one  of  the  insignia 
of  an  earl  and  a  knight. 

18.  Rere-cross  on  Stanmore]  The  Rey-cross  or  Rere-cross 
is  a  fragment  of  an  old  cross  beside  the  Roman  road  which 
crosses  Stainmore  forest,  close  to  the  border-line  of  Yorkshire 
and  Westmorland.  The  name  is  said  to  mean  the  King's  cross, 
and,  according  to  one  tradition,  it  was  originally  put  up  in  the 


158  NOTES  pp.  6l- 

eleventh  century  to  mark  the  boundary  between  England  and 
the  district  conquered  by  Malcolm  Canmore. 

21.  Richmond]  Richmond  castle,  on  a  cliff  above  the  Swale, 
was  founded  by  Alan,  earl  of  Brittany,  to  whom  the  Conqueror 
granted  the  great  tract  of  land,  comprising  north-east  Yorkshire 
and  parts  of  Cumberland,  Westmorland  and  Lancashire,  which 
was  known  as  Richmondshire  or  the  honour  of  Richmond. 

III.   Thorsgill 

From  canto  iv,  i-iii.    See  notes  on  11.  45,  50,  pp.  154,  155  above. 

I.  Denmark's  raven]  The  raven  was  the  standard  of  the 
Danish  leaders  Hingwar  and  Hubba.  The  Danes  invaded  North- 
umbria  in  867,  conquering  the  district  east  of  the  Pennine  chain. 

4.  Reged]  The  Celtic  name  for  the  district  west  of  the  Pen- 
nine chain,  which  remained  unconquered  by  the  Danes,  and  was 
a  debatable  land  until  it  was  granted  by  William  I  to  Malcolm 
Canmore,  who  did  fealty  for  it  to  him.  See  note  on  1.  18,  p.  157 
above.    Cf.  Bridal  of  Triermain,  i,  xi:  'the  harpers  of  Reged.' 

8.  Caldron  and  High-Force]  Caldron  Snout,  on  the  borders 
of  Yorkshire,  Westmorland  and  Cumberland,  is  a  narrow  sloping 
chasm  through  which  the  Tees  forces  its  way  in  a  long  water- 
slide  and  cataract  between  basalt  rock.  High  Force,  six  miles 
further  down  the  river,  is  the  waterfall  over  which  the  river 
escapes  from  the  moors  into  the  dale  above  Middleton. 

10.  Runic]  Runes  (literally  whisperings)  is  the  name  applied 
to  the  characters  used  in  Scandinavian  and  certain  Old  English 
inscriptions.  Cf.  Wordsworth,  Joanna,  28;  'a  Runic  Priest,'  and 
see  note  in  Selections  from  Wordsworth,  pp.  119-20. 

13.    Balder]    See  note  on  1.  46,  p.  154  above. 

15.  Woden's  Croft]  Woden  Croft  is  a  farm  on  the  right  bank 
of  the  Tees,  above  its  confluence  with  the  Balder. 

16.  the  stern  Father  of  the  Slain]  Odin,  to  whose  hall  of 
Valhalla  the  slain  in  battle  were  borne  by  the  Valkyries,  the 
'choosers  of  the  slain.'    See  Gray's  poem,  The  Fatal  Sisters. 

17.  the  Mace]  The  hammer  of  Thor,  the  son  of  Odin  and 
god  of  thunder. 


64  NOTES  159 

19.  Sifia]   Sif,  the  wife  of  Thor. 

20.  Stratforth]  Now  called  Startforth,  opposite  Barnard 
Castle,  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Tees.  The  name  is  the  same  as 
Stratford,  the  ford  on  the  street  or  Roman  road,  which  ran  from 
the  great  northern  road  near  Bishop  Auckland  to  join  the  western 
road  over  Stainmore  and  crossed  the  Tees  at  Barnard  Castle. 

23.    Scald,  or  Kemper]    A  scald  was  a  Scandinavian  minstrel. 
A  kemper  is  a  soldier  or  fighting-man,  more  usual  in  the  form 
'kemp.'  Cf.  the  ballad  of  King  Estmere  in  Percy's  Reliques,  1.  126: 
But  in  did  come  the  kyng  of  Spayne 
With  kempds  many  a  one, 

and  1.  215:  'Downe  then  came  the  kemperye  man.' 

34.  rath]  More  usually  '  rathe.'  Early:  '  rather  '  is  the  com- 
parative of  the  kindred  adverb  'rathe.' 

38.  Oberon]  The  allusions  in  this  and  the  following  lines  are 
to  the  fairy  dramatis  personae  of  Shakespeare's  Midsummer- 
Night's  Dream. 

59.  Urbino]  Raffaelle  Sanzio  (1483-1520),  born  at  Urbino 
in  the  Italian  marches.  Cf.  Browning,  Andrea  del  Sarto,  105: 
'The  Urbinate  who  died  five  years  ago.'  Scott  compares  the 
variety  of  the  trees  in  the  wood  to  the  masterly  grouping  of 
figures  in  Raffaelle's  famous  cartoon  of  St  Paul  preaching  at 
Athens,  one  of  the  series  executed  for  pope  Leo  X  in  1515  and 
1 5 16,  as  designs  for  tapestries.  Seven  out  of  the  ten  cartoons, 
including  this  one,  were  in  Charles  I's  collection  at  Hampton 
court  palace,  and  were  removed  in  1865  to  the  South  Kensington 
museum. 

IV.    Evening 

From  canto  v,  i,  ii.  Towler  or  Toller  hill,  from  which  the  view 
is  described,  is  a  hill  round  which  the  river  bends  on  the  right 
bank  of  the  Tees,  a  mile  and  a  half  above  Barnard  Castle. 

7.  the  tower  of  Bowes]  The  village  of  Bowes  stands,  from 
900  to  1000  feet  above  the  sea,  on  the  eastern  slope  of  Bowes 
moor,  part  of  Stainmore  forest,  four  miles  W.S.W.  of  Barnard 
Castle.    It  is  the  site  of  the  Roman  station  of  Lavatrae,  near  the 


i6o  NOTES  pp.  64- 

junction  of  the  Roman  road  mentioned  in  the  note  on  1.  20,  p.  159 
above,  with  the  main  western  road  which  comes  through  Rokeby 
and  crossed  Stainmore  to  Brough  in  Westmorland.  The  tower  of 
Bowes  is  a  great  rectangular  keep,  the  only  remaining  portion  of 
a  stronghold  of  the  earls  of  Brittany  and  Richmond  (see  note  on 
1.  21,  p.  158  above),  probably  built  in  the  later  part  of  the  twelfth 
century. 

22.    Her  guardian  streams]    The  Greta  and  the  Tees. 


EXTRACTS  FROM  THE  BRIDAL  OF  TRIERMAIN 

The  Bridal  of  Triermain  ;  or,  The  Vale  of  St  John :  a  Lover's  Tale, 
was  written  by  Scott  contemporaneously  with  Rokeby  and  was 
published  anonymously  about  the  same  time.  It  is  a  romantic 
lay  supposed  to  be  sung  by  an  imaginary  minstrel,  Arthur,  to  his 
lady-love  Lucy.  The  scene  is  laid  in  Cumberland,  a  district  which 
already  had  provided  abundant  material  for  Wordsworth  and 
Coleridge  and  had  been  visited  by  Scott  in  the  summer  of  1797, 
when  he  met  his  future  wife  at  Gilsland. 

Sir  Roland  de  Vaux,  the  baron  of  Triermain,  near  Gilsland, 
has  a  vision  of  a  lady  with  an  eagle's  feather  in  her  hair  whom  he 
determines  to  make  his  bride.  He  sends  his  page  Henry  to  the 
seer  Lyulph,  whose  traditional  dwelling  was  on  the  banks  of 
Ullswater,  to  discover  whether  she  is  mortal  and  may  be  won. 
Lyulph  tells  a  tale  which  fills  the  greater  part  of  canto  i  and 
canto  II.  She  is  Gyneth,  the  daughter  of  king  Arthur  and  Guen- 
dolen,  the  lady  of  the  magic  castle  in  the  vale  of  St  John  near 
Keswick.  Taught  by  her  mother,  she  appeared  at  Arthur's  court 
at  Cariisle  and  demanded  his  protection.  He  promised  her  hand 
to  the  winner  of  a  tournament,  as  he  had  previously  sworn  to 
her  mother  that  his  knights  should  battle  for  her  a  whole  summer's 
day;  but,  repenting  of  his  decision,  asked  her  to  stop  the  fight 
when  it  grew  too  hot  and  accept  a  bridegroom  of  his  choice.  She, 
however,  refused  to  comply;  and  the  fight  which  followed  ended 
in  the  slaughter  of  many  of  the  best  knights  of  the  Round  table. 


66  NOTES  l6l 

Merlin  condemned  Gyneth  for  her  disastrous  pride  to  sleep  in  the 
vale  of  St  John  until  a  knight,  as  bold  as  any  of  Arthur's,  comes 
to  awake  her.  She  has  appeared  in  visions  to  many  knights,  who 
have  undertaken  the  quest  of  finding  her  in  her  hidden  castle, 
but  hitherto  none  has  been  worthy.  In  canto  iii,  sir  Roland  goes 
to  keep  vigil  in  the  vale  of  St  John  beside  the  castle-like  rock 
which  is  Gyneth's  enchanted  abode.  One  night  he  has  a  fleeting 
vision  of  the  castle,  but  in  the  morning  he  sees  only  the  heaped 
rocks  of  the  mysterious  mound.  A  second  mocking  vision,  seen 
through  mist,  rouses  his  anger.  Flinging  his  axe  at  a  crag,  he 
breaks  away  a  fragment  of  rock  and  discovers  a  winding  stair 
which  leads  him  to  a  place  where  he  sees  the  castle  before  him  in 
substantial  form.  He  breaks  open  the  door,  which  is  closed  behind 
him  by  an  unseen  arm,  swims  the  inner  moat  and  passes  through 
the  deserted  hall  to  a  gallery  where  his  way  is  barred  by  four 
Lybian  damsels,  each  holding  a  tiger  in  leash.  He  encounters  this 
ordeal  safely,  and,  having  conquered  danger,  refuses  the  tempta- 
tions of  wealth,  pleasure  and  pride  of  empire,  offered  by  further 
bands  of  damsels  as  he  pursues  his  quest.  Followed  by  songs  of 
praise  from  his  temptresses,  he  at  last  enters  the  bower  where 
Gyneth  sleeps.  As  she  wakes,  the  magic  castle  crumbles  to 
pieces,  and  he  bears  her  home  as  his  mortal  bride. 

On  its  first  appearance,  the  poem  was  generally  regarded  as 
an  imitation  of  Scott  by  an  unknown  writer,  a  mystification 
which  was  helped  by  the  previous  appearance  of  anonymous 
fragments,  purporting  to  be  imitations  of  living  writers,  in  the 
Edinburgh  Annual  Register  for  1809.  The  magic  setting  of  the 
tale  differentiates  it  from  Scott's  previous  romances  in  verse  and 
from  Rokeby,  and  the  metre  is  more  broken  and  varied  than  in 
the  poems  written  after  The  Lay  of  the  Last  Minstrel;  but  the 
purely  chivalric  passages,  the  detailed  descriptions  and  the 
spirited  stanzas  in  which  Scott  employs  his  knowledge  of  local 
topography  with  his  usual  skill  justify  Lockhart's  praise  of  the 
poem.  '  His  genius  pervades  and  animates  it  beneath  a  thin  and 
playful  veil,  which  perhaps  adds  as  much  of  grace  as  it  takes 
away  of  splendour .  .  .  and  I  think  there  is  at  once  a  lightness  and 

T.S.  II 


l62  NOTES  pp.  66- 

a  polish  of  versification  beyond  what  he  has  elsewhere  attained' 
{Life  of  Scott,  ch.  xxv).  Lockhart  objected,  however,  with  some 
justice  to  'the  contemptuous  satire  of  the  frivolities  of  modern 
life'  in  the  introductions  to  the  cantos. 


I.    The  Magic  Castle 

From  canto  i,  xiii-xv.  Lyulph  tells  the  story  of  Arthur's 
journey  'from  merry  Carlisle,  when  Pentecost  was  o'er,'  in  search 
of  adventure.  The  vale  of  St  John,  down  which  the  St  John's 
beck  flows  from  its  source  in  Thirlmere  to  join  the  Glenderamakin 
at  Threlkeld,  is  at  the  northern  end  of  Thirlmere.  The  Castle  rock, 
on  which  Scott  founded  his  tale,  is  not  far  from  the  lake,  near  the 
main  road  from  Ambleside  to  Keswick. 

7.  rampire]  Rampart,  in  its  earliest  sense  an  artificial 
mound  or  embankment  of  earth  made  for  military  purposes,  and 
applied  later  to  the  stone  defences  raised  on  such  mounds.  In 
Lincolnshire  the  main  road  from  Lincoln  to  the  Humber,  which 
follows  the  line  of  the  old  Roman  military  road,  is  called  the  '  old 
Ramper,'  and  the  word  'ramper'  is  commonly  used  for  any  main 
road,  by  association  with  the  older  military  highways.  In  the 
present  case,  the  rampire  is  the  curtain  wall  encircling  a  castle. 

8.  keep]    See  note  on  1.  27,  p.  no  above. 
12.    Nimrod]    See  Genesis  x.  8-10. 

14.  balanc'd]  Drawbridges  across  moats  were  usually  bal- 
anced by  weights  and  pulleys,  the  beams  of  the  bridge  working 
on  pivots  fixed  in  the  ground  just  outside  the  gatehouse  of  the 
castle.  When  the  drawbridge  was  not  in  use,  it  was  drawn  up 
and  left  leaning  at  an  angle  above  the  moat.  In  this  instance 
Scott  makes  the  drawbridge  depend  from  balance-beams  (see 
1.  61)  fixed  above  the  castle  gateway. 

18.  prong'd  portcullis]  The  portcuUis  (Fr.  porte=a.  door, 
and  coulisse  =a  groove),  which  protected  the  timber  doorway  of  a 
castle,  was  a  movable  framework  of  iron  bars  like  a  gridiron,  the 
vertical  bars  of  which  ended  in  spikes.  It  was  fixed  in  grooves  at 
the  sides  of  the  gateway  and  was  worked  up  and  down  by  a 


70  NOTES  163 

windlass  on  the  upper  floor  of  the  gatehouse.  See  11.  59,  60 
below. 

20.    no  banners]    See  note  on  1.  16,  p.  153  above. 

33.  battled]  Embattled,  as  in  1.  4,  p.  1 19  above,  and  frequently 
in  Scott's  poems. 

46.  the  -wold]  '  Wold  '  is  used  in  its  old  sense  of  an  open  and 
uncultivated  tract  of  country,  the  old  English  weald  (cf.  German 
Wald).  Cf.  The  Lord  of  the  Isles,  i,  xxvi:  '  Shunn'd  by  the  pilgrim 
on  the  wold.'  The  word  is  now  applied  to  hilly  land,  just  as  the 
synonym  '  forest '  has  generally  lost  its  sense  of  bareness  and  un- 
cultivation;  but  it  was  originally  used  of  a  barren  tract  of  land, 
irrespective  of  height  or  undulation. 

51.  the  blessed  rood]  The  cross  (old  English  v6d),  the  em- 
blem borne  by  Arthur  on  his  shield. 

63.  The  vaulted  arch]  The  stone-vaulted  passage  through 
the  ground-floor  of  the  gatehouse. 

66.    Caliburn]    Excalibur,  Arthur's  magic  sword. 

II.    The  Enchanted  Goblet 

From  canto  11,  viii-x.  Arthur  departs  from  the  magic  castle, 
where  for  three  months  he  has  been  subject  to  the  enchantment 
of  Guendolen. 

9-1 1.  The  construction  is  loose  and  rather  awkward.  The  sense 
is,  of  course,  'the  Lybian  steed  of  Arthur,  who  had  doffed  his 
luxurious  Persian  garments,  and  was  clad  in  steel  armour,'  etc. 
'Lybian'  is  incorrect  spelling  for  'Libyan,'  i.e.  African,  Arab. 

14.  pleasures  by]  Pleasures  past.  The  sigh  is  one  of  penitence 
mingled  with  regret  that  his  pleasure  has  come  to  an  end. 

32.  Genii]  Spirits,  the  djinns  or  genies  of  eastern  mythology. 
The  magic  element  in  Scott's  legend,  within  its  outer  covering  of 
a  medieval  castle,  is  coloured  by  reminiscences  of  eastern  story 
and  resembles  the  setting  of  a  tale  in  the  Arabian  Nights  or  of 
Beckford's  romance  Vathek. 

49.  the  reed]  The  arrow:  cf.  the  similar  use  of  Lat.  arundo 
=  a  reed,  arrow. 

57.    donjon]    See  note  on  1.  4,  p.  119  above. 


i64  NOTES  pp.  70- 

III.   The  Defenceless  Border 

From  canto  in,  i.  Sir  Roland  de  Vaux,  preoccupied  with  the 
quest  of  which  he  has  learned  the  secret  from  Lyulph's  tale, 
leaves  Triermain  and  wanders  round  the  enchanted  rock  in  the 
vale  of  St  John.  Meanwhile  the  Border  is  powerless  to  defend 
itself  against  Scottish  raids. 

1.  Bewcastle]  Bewcastle,  famous  for  the  Anglian  cross  in 
its  churchyard,  is  the  moorland  parish  north  of  Triermain,  border- 
ing on  Scotland.  The  Hold  is  the  castle  from  which  the  parish 
takes  its  name,  said  to  have  been  founded  soon  after  the  conquest 
by  Bueth,  lord  of  Gilsland,  and  dismantled  during  the  civil  wars. 

2.  Speir-Adam]  Spadeadam  waste,  as  it  is  now  called,  is  a 
moor  on  the  south  side  of  Bewcastle  fells.  The  farm  of  Spadeadam 
is  north  of  Triermain,  on  the  line  of  the  Roman  road  which  led 
northwards  from  the  station  of  Amboglanna  (Birdoswald)  on  the 

Roman  wall. 

3.  Harley-burn]  The  stronghold  alluded  to  is  Featherstone 
castle  in  Northumberland,  which  stands  opposite  the  junction  of 
the  Hartley  burn  with  the  South  Tyne  above  Haltwhistle.  The 
parish  of  Hartleyburn  borders  upon  Cumberland,  close  to  Gils- 
land. 

5-9.  While  the  men  of  Northumberland  and  Cumberland,  in 
De  Vaux's  absence,  cannot  leave  their  fortresses,  the  raiders  from 
the  neighbouring  Scottish  dales  are  free  for  their  work  of  invasion. 
Liddesdale  (see  note  on  11.  3°,  31.  P-  loS  above)  is  the  valley  of  the 
Liddel,  which  rises  in  the  Cheviots  above  Hawick  and  waters 
south  Roxburghshire,  flowing  into  the  Esk  and  forming,  in  the 
lower  part  of  its  course,  the  border  between  England  and  Scotland. 
For  Teviot  (1.  6)  and  Eskdale  (1.  8)  see  note  on  1.  14,  p.  102  above. 
The  Tarras  and  the  Ewes  waters  (1.  7)  are  tributaries  of  the  Esk 
in  Dumfriesshire;  the  Ewes  meets  it  at  Langholm  and  the  Tarras 
about  two  miles  south. 

II.  de  Vaiix]  The  family  of  Vaux  {de  Vallibus)  were  the 
Norman  lords  of  Gilsland  and  founders  of  the  castle  of  Triermain^ 
which  remained  in  a  younger  branch  of  the  family  after  the  male 


71  NOTES  165 

line  of  the  elder  branch  had  died  out.  Coleridge  introduced 
'  Roland  de  Vaux  of  Tryermaine '  into  the  second  part  of  Christa- 
bel,  which  was  written  some  years  before  Scott's  poem  but  not 
published  till  later. 


EXTRACTS  FROM  THE  LORD  OF  THE  ISLES 

The  Lord  of  the  Isles  was  contemplated  by  Scott  during  a  visit 
to  the  western  Highlands  in  the  summer  of  18 10,  but  the  idea 
was  laid  aside  for  other  work.  Most  of  the  poem  was  written  in 
the  winter  of  1814,  and  it  was  published  on  18  January  1815. 
Scott  broke  new  ground,  both  as  regards  the  scenery  of  a  great 
part  of  the  work,  which  is  laid  in  the  islands  of  western  Scotland 
and  the  Hebrides,  and  in  the  historical  setting,  which  is  furnished 
by  the  adventures  of  Robert  Bruce  and  culminates  in  the  battle 
of  Bannockburn  (13 14). 

The  poem  opens  at  the  castle  of  Ardtornish,  on  the  coast  of  the 
sound  of  Mull,  where  Edith,  sister  of  the  lord  of  Lorn,  is  awaiting 
the  coming  of  Ronald,  lord  of  the  Isles,  to  celebrate  their  espou- 
sals. While  all  rejoice,  Edith  knows  that  Ronald  does  not  return 
her  love  and,  as  she  watches  Ronald's  galleys  approach  the 
castle,  she  communicates  her  fears  to  her  foster-mother  Morag. 
She  sees  a  small  bark  contending  against  wind  and  tide  in  the 
distance.  This  contains  the  outlaw  king,  Robert  Bruce,  with  his 
brother  Edward  and  sister  Isabel.  They  are  forced  to  put  to 
shore  and  seek  hospitality  at  Ardtornish  as  nameless  strangers. 
In  canto  11  the  nuptial  banquet  is  proceeding,  when  the  unknown 
guests  are  announced.  Lorn  is  the  bitter  enemy  of  Bruce,  who 
had  slain  the  Red  Comyn,  his  kinsman  by  marriage,  and  is  in 
treaty  with  the  king  of  England,  whose  envoy,  Argentine,  is 
present  at  the  feast.  The  bearing  of  the  strangers  lays  them  open 
at  once  to  suspicion  and  Argentine  prompts  the  minstrel  to  sing 
a  ballad  in  praise  of  the  house  of  Lorn  and  in  defiance  of  Bruce 
which  Edward  resents.  They  are  discovered  and  Lorn  and  his 
followers  threaten  them  with  death,  while  the  lord  of  the  Isles, 
who  is  secretly  in  love  with  Isabel,  defends  them  in  the  name  of 


l66  NOTES  p. 

hospitality,  and  Isabel  pleads  with  Argentine,  in  the  name  of  old 
friendship,  to  stop  the  brawl.  While  all  is  in  confusion,  the  abbot 
of  lona  arrives  to  bless  the  espousals.  Amid  the  wranghng,  while 
Edith  joins  Isabel  in  her  prayers  for  the  Bruces'  safety  and 
Argentine  demands  them  as  prisoners  of  the  English  king,  the 
abbot  is  about  to  pronounce  his  anathema  upon  Bruce.  The 
exiled  monarch,  however,  speaks  boldly  on  his  own  behalf, 
arraigning  Argentine  and  Lorn  as  traitors,  and  the  abbot's  curse 
is  turned  into  a  blessing. 

In  canto  iii  the  friendship  of  Lorn  and  Ronald  is  broken  and 
Lorn  prepares  to  leave  Ardtornish,  where  Bruce  remains  with 
the  lord  of  the  Isles.  Now  that  the  match  between  Ronald  and 
Edith  is  at  an  end.  Lorn  has  sworn  to  give  his  sister  in  marriage 
to  an  English  baron,  Clifford ;  but  Edith  is  found  to  have  left  the 
castle  and  to  have  escaped  with  Morag  to  sanctuary  at  lona 
under  the  abbot's  protection.  As  Lorn  and  his  friends  depart, 
Argentine  demands  reparation  from  Bruce  for  his  charge  of 
treachery  and  gives  him  his  glove  to  wear  in  his  helmet,  so  that 
he  may  recognise  him  in  battle.  After  nightfall,  Ronald  and  his 
chieftains  seek  Bruce  and  swear  allegiance  to  him.  It  is  decided, 
in  the  interests  of  Bruce's  safety,  that  he  and  Ronald  shall  go  to 
the  isle  of  Skye,  while  Edward  and  Isabel  return  for  shelter  to 
Ireland.  Ronald  and  Bruce,  with  a  page,  leave  their  galley  on  the 
coast  of  Skye  to  go  hunting.  Near  Loch  Coruisk  they  meet  five 
hunters  wearing  badges  of  the  house  of  Lorn,  who  tell  them  that 
their  ship  has  fled  at  the  approach  of  a  southern  vessel.  They  are 
constrained  to  spend  the  night  in  the  strangers'  cabin,  where  they 
find  a  captive  youth,  supposed  to  be  dumb,  and  are  warned  of 
danger  by  his  signs.  Explaining  that  they  are  on  a  pilgrimage 
and  under  vow,  they  eat  and  sleep  armed  at  one  end  of  the  hut 
and  keep  watch  in  turns.  During  the  night  their  hosts,  who  know 
Bruce's  identity  and  have  purposely  laid  the  snare  for  him, 
attack  them  and  kill  the  page;  but  Bruce  and  Ronald  slay  the 
ruffians  and  leave  the  hut  in  safety,  taking  the  captive  boy  with 
them.  As  they  return  to  their  galley,  in  canto  iv,  they  are  met 
by  Edward  Bruce,  who  has  followed  them  to  call  the  king  to  the 


71  NOTES  167 

head  of  his  army.  The  Scots  are  ready  to  march,  and  Edward  I 
has  died  by  the  Solway,  on  his  way  to  Scotland.  Ronald  accom- 
panies Bruce  and  sends  a  galley  to  summon  his  island  fleet  to 
assemble  at  Brodick  bay  in  Arran.  On  the  way  Ronald  pleads 
for  Isabel's  hand,  reminding  Bruce  that  his  troth  with  Edith  has 
been  broken  by  Lorn :  Bruce  promises  to  do  what  he  can :  Isabel 
is  upon  the  isle  of  Arran  in  a  nunnery,  but  her  afiEections  have 
already  been  engaged  by  an  unknown  knight  seen  at  a  tourna- 
ment. Meanwhile,  the  dumb  boy  stands  by  and  weeps:  Edward 
Bruce  offers  to  make  him  his  page,  but  Bruce  says  that  he  is  too 
tender  and  retiring  for  such  an  occupation  and  suggests  that  he 
should  take  shelter  in  St  Bride's  nunnery  with  Isabel.  They  land 
at  Loch  Ranza,  where,  at  the  sound  of  Bruce's  bugle,  his  followers 
rally  round  him.  He  visits  Isabel  in  her  nunnery,  where  she  has 
determined  to  take  the  vows:  she  recognises  that  the  knight  of 
the  tournament  and  Ronald  are  one,  but  Ronald  has  broken  his 
troth  to  her  and  pledged  it  to  the  maid  of  Lorn  and  she  will  not 
hear  of  his  suit,  unless  he  lays  before  her  his  spousal  ring,  freely 
yielded  back  by  Edith.  At  this  the  young  captive,  who  has  been 
brought  by  Bruce  to  the  convent  and  is  a  witness  of  the  inter- 
view, flings  his  arms  round  Isabel's  neck,  which  Bruce  takes  as 
a  sign  of  his  gratitude  for  the  refuge  provided  for  him.  Leaving 
him  behind,  the  king  returns  to  his  camp. 

At  the  beginning  of  canto  v,  Isabel  finds  the  spousal  ring  with 
a  letter  on  the  floor  of  her  cell  and  divines  that  the  captive  is 
Edith  in  disguise,  when  she  finds  that  he  is  not  in  the  nunnery. 
Bruce  has  already  left  Loch  Ranza  for  the  meeting-place  at 
Brodick ;  but  she  sends  father  Augustine,  the  chaplain,  after  him, 
begging  him  to  send  back  the  boy.  Edward  Bruce,  however,  has 
found  him  and  sent  him  to  the  mainland,  to  announce  the  king's 
arrival  to  his  tenants  in  the  earldom  of  Carrick.  Ronald  promises 
to  protect  the  boy  and  asks  the  chaplain  to  beg  Isabel  for  some 
token  which  he  may  wear  in  battle.  The  army  crosses  to  Carrick 
by  night;  but  the  English  Clifford,  for  whom  Lorn  has  destined 
Edith,  occupies  Bruce's  castle  at  Turnberry,  and  Bruce's  sub- 
jects are  afraid  to  rise  on  his  behalf.  True  to  his  promise,  Ronald 


i68  NOTES  pp.  71- 

guards  the  disguised  Edith,  whose  disguise  no  one  but  Isabel  has 
yet  discovered.  She  faints  during  the  night-march,  and  Ronald 
hides  her  in  a  hollow  oak,  where  she  is  found  and  taken  prisoner 
to  Clifford.  Lorn  is  with  him,  and  she  hears  him  tell  her  own 
story,  how,  on  her  way  to  lona,  she  has  been  captured  by  pirates. 
When  Lorn  sees  the  supposed  boy,  he  at  once  advises  that  he 
should  be  hanged  upon  the  hollow  oak.  The  execution  is  about  to 
take  place,  when  Bruce  and  his  men  break  from  their  ambuscade : 
Ronald  rescues  the  prisoner,  Clifiord  is  slain.  Lorn  escapes  in  his 
galley,  and  Bruce  regains  his  castle  and  sends  messengers  to  warn 
Scotland  of  his  victorious  return. 

An  interval  of  some  years  separates  the  last  canto  from  the 
rest.  Isabel  has  taken  the  vows  at  St  Bride's  and  Edith,  her  dis- 
guise removed,  is  with  her.  Scotland  has  gradually  been  won 
back  and  Bruce  is  besieging  the  English  in  their  last  stronghold 
at  Stirling.  Lorn  has  died  in  England,  and  Edith,  heiress  to  his 
lands,  which  are  entrusted  to  Ronald's  care,  is  a  ward  of  the 
Scottish  Crown.  Ronald  has  resigned  his  pretensions  to  the  hand 
of  Isabel  and  is  now  ready  to  marry  Edith.  Bruce  sends  to  St 
Bride's,  requesting  that  Edith  should  be  sent  to  him  in  her  old 
disguise  of  a  dumb  boy,  to  act  as  his  page  and  to  try  Ronald's 
penitence  for  his  broken  troth.  She  arrives  upon  the  field  of 
Bannockburn,  where  Bruce  has  just  slain  sir  Henry  Boune 
(Bohun).  At  dawn  the  battle  is  renewed.  Edith  watches  the 
doubtful  conflict  from  a  neighbouring  hill  and,  as  the  English 
rally  for  the  last  time  under  Argentine,  she  breaks  her  silence 
with  a  prayer  for  the  victory  of  her  country.  Encouraged  by  the 
supposed  miracle  of  her  restored  speech,  the  Scots  beat  back  the 
English.  Argentine,  covering  the  retreat  of  king  Edward,  receives 
his  death-wound  from  the  lord  of  Colonsay :  he  has  lost  his  chance 
of  combat  with  Bruce,  from  whom  he  receives  a  chivalrous  fare- 
well. At  the  end  of  the  battle,  Ronald  and  Edith  are  married  in 
the  abbey  church  of  Cambuskenneth. 

The  Lord  of  the  Isles,  though  written  hastily  at  a  time  when 

Scott  was  already  engaged   upon  his  work  of  prose  romance, 

bounds  in  passages  of  spirited  narrative  and  description,  which, 


72  NOTES  169 

on  their  own  merits,  are  not  inferior  to  his  earUer  work.  At  the 
same  time,  the  whole  work  was  cast  in  a  mould  which  was  already- 
familiar  to  his  public:  his  old  material  was  presented  in  a  new 
setting  to  an  audience  which  already  had  found  the  novelty  it 
wanted  in  Byron's  narratives  in  verse,  and  his  power  of  chivalrous 
narrative,  adorned  with  topographical  allusion,  could  not  regain 
the  popularity  which  his  earliest  poems  had  won.  As  usual,  Scott 
treated  history  with  some  freedom,  weaving  traditions  of  Bruce's 
adventures  into  an  imaginary  tale  without  regard  to  chronology. 

I.    Autumn  on  Tweedside 

These  Spenserian  stanzas,  characteristic  of  the  tender  sentiment 
with  which  Scott  invests  his  favourite  scenery,  form  the  intro- 
duction to  the  poem. 

2.  Somerville]  The  Pavilion  of  Alwyn,  the  seat  of  John 
Southey,  fifteenth  baron  Somerville  (1765-18 19),  is  on  the  left 
bank  of  the  Tweed,  between  Galashiels  and  Melrose.  Lord 
Somerville  was  an  intimate  friend  of  Scott's,  who  learned  much 
from  him  in  the  art  of  planting  an  estate.  Shortly  before  the 
publication  of  The  Lord  of  the  Isles,  Scott  brought  out  a  history 
of  the  Somerville  family,  entitled  Memorie  of  the  Somervilles. 

7.    cushat]    The  wood-pigeon. 

9.  Ettrick]    See  note  on  1.  74,  p.  106  above. 

10.  Gala]  Gala  water,  which  gives  its  name  to  Galashiels, 
joins  the  Tweed  a  little  below  Abbotsford.  Gala  house  belonged 
to  Scott's  kinsman,  John  Scott  of  Gala,  whose  property  lay 
immediately  across  the  Tweed,  opposite  Abbotsford. 

23.  the  red  leaf]  Cf.  Coleridge,  Christabel,  49:  '  The  one  red 
leaf,  the  last  of  its  clan,'  etc. 

33.    his  bugle]    An  appropriate  image  for  the  month  of  No- 
vember, the  beginning  of  the  full  hunting  season.  Cf .  the  November 
landscape  in  Keble,  Christian  Year,  23d  Sunday  after  Trinity,  6: 
Now  the  tired  hunter  winds  a  parting  note. 
And  Echo  bids  good-night  from  every  glade. 
38.    Albyn]    See  note  on  1.  59,  p.  155  above. 


170  NOTES  pp.  73- 

39.  the  rough  West]  The  '  wild  West-wind,'  the  '  breath  of 
Autumn's  being.' 

41.  Coolin's  hills]  The  Cuchullin  or  Cuillin  hills,  a  wild 
range  of  jagged  peaks  in  south-west  Skye,  which  form  the  back- 
ground of  the  scene  described  by  Scott  in  cantos  11  and  iii. 

42.  the  Seer  of  Skye]  Cf.  Collins,  Ode  on  the  popular  super- 
stitions of  the  Highlands  of  Scotland,  53  sqq. : 

'Tis  thine  to  sing,  how,  framing  hideous  spells. 
In  Sky's  lone  isle,  the  gifted  wizard-seer, 
Lodg'd  in  the  wintry  cave,  with  Fate's  fell  spear. 

Or  in  the  depth  of  Uist's  dark  forest  dwells, 

and  97,  98: 

The  Seer,  in  Sky,  shriek'd  as  the  blood  did  flow. 
When  headless  Charles  warm  on  the  scaffold  lay. 

43.  Reay]  The  country  of  the  Clan  Mackay,  stretching  from 
the  western  border  of  Caithness  to  the  west  coast  and  comprising 
a  large  part  of  Sutherland. 

44.  Harries]  Harris,  the  southern  part  of  the  isle  of  Lewis  in 
the  western  Hebrides. 

lona]  The  island  of  lona  is  the  burial-place  of  the  early  kings 
of  Scotland  and  other  monarchs  and  Highland  chieftains,  in- 
cluding the  independent  princes  known  as  the  lords  of  the  Isles. 
Angus  Og,  the  lord  to  whom  Scott  gives  the  more  euphonious 
name  of  Ronald,  is  said,  in  a  document  quoted  in  a  note  by  Scott, 
to  have  been  buried  in  Islay:  the  same  note  records  the  benefac- 
tions of  his  descendants  to  lona  and  their  burial  there  in  St  Oran's 
churchyard. 

II.    The  Brooch  of  Lorn 

The  minstrel's  song  at  the  bridal  feast  in  canto  11,  xi-xiii.  It 
is  founded  upon  the  story  of  the  battle  of  Dairy  (the  king's  field) 
in  1306.  Bruce,  after  the  murder  of  his  rival  John  Comyn  in  the 
Greyfriars'  church  at  Dumfries,  was  crowned  king  of  Scotland  at 
Scone  on  29  March  1306.  On  19  June  he  was  defeated  at  Methven 
by  an  English  force  under  the  earl  of  Pembroke  and  was  forced 
to  escape  with  a  small  band  of  followers.  They  made  their  way 


74  NOTES  171 

through  the  hills  of  Breadalbane  (see  note  on  1.  18,  p.  142  above) ; 
but  were  met  in  Glendochart  (see  note  on  1.  2,  p.  138  above),  on 
the  borders  of  Argyllshire,  by  John  McDougal,  lord  of  Lorn, 
Comyn's  brother-in-law.  After  a  severe  engagement,  Bruce  was 
again  defeated.  It  was  said  that,  as  he  was  making  good  his 
retreat  up  a  narrow  pass,  he  overpowered  Lorn  in  a  single  combat. 
Lorn  was  rescued  by  two  of  his  vassals  who  dragged  Bruce  away 
by  his  mantle.  He  killed  them  with  his  battle-axe,  but  the 
mantle  and  the  brooch  which  held  it  remained  in  their  grasp,  and 
the  brooch  was  preserved  as  a  trophy  by  the  house  of  Lorn. 

14.  Dwarf's  s-wart  hands]  The  trolls  or  gnomes  of  northern 
mythology  were  supposed  to  inhabit  mountain-caves,  where  they 
mined  and  hammered  metal  into  magic  forms. 

16.  England's  love,  or  France's  fear?]  I.e.  did  the  brooch 
come  as  a  present  from  England,  the  ally  of  Bruce's  enemies,  or 
as  a  propitiatory  gift  from  France,  the  enemy  of  England  and 
the  supporter  of  Bruce's  claims? 

17.  nothing]    Adverbial,  with  the  sense  '  in  no  wise.' 

27.  Bendourish  fell]  Ben  Douran  or  Ben  Doran  (3526  ft), 
one  of  the  highest  summits  of  the  part  of  the  Grampians  on  the 
edge  of  Perthshire  and  Argyllshire. 

28.  Douchart's  sounding  dell]    Glendochart. 

29.  Teyndrum]  Tyndrum  is  a  wild  mountain  parish  which 
includes  Glendochart  and  the  source  of  the  Tay.  The  village  of 
Tyndrum  is  at  the  head  of  the  Fillan  water  (see  note  on  1.  2, 
p.  138  above),  the  upper  part  of  the  Dochart. 

33.  the  Douglas  brand]  Sir  James  Douglas,  lord  of  Douglas, 
known  as  'the  good  lord  James,'  the  most  famous  and  devoted 
of  Bruce's  adherents.  He  died  in  1330,  fighting  in  Spain  against 
the  Moors,  while  on  a  pilgrimage  to  the  Holy  land  in  charge  of 
Bruce's  heart,  a  mission  which  gave  the  house  of  Douglas  its 
armorial  bearings  of  a  crowned  heart. 

34.  Campbell]  Another  of  Bruce's  followers,  the  ancestor  of 
the  house  of  Breadalbane. 

35.  Kirkpatrick's  bloody  dirk]  After  the  quarrel  between 
Bruce  and  Comyn  in  the  church  at  Dumfries  (see  introductory 


172  NOTES  pp.  74- 

note),  Bruce  met,  upon  the  threshold  of  the  church,  sir  James 
Lindsay  and  sir  Roger  Kirkpatrick,  laird  of  Closeburn.  They 
asked  him  'What  tidings?'  He  answered,  'Bad  tidings:  I  doubt 
I  have  slain  the  Red  Comyn.'  Thereupon  Kirkpatrick,  exclaiming 
'  I  mak  sicker'  (i.e.  I  will  make  sure),  rushed  into  the  church  with 
Lindsay  and  dispatched  the  wounded  man. 

37.  Barendown]  Scott  derived  the  names  of  Barendown  and 
De  la  Haye  (1.  38)  from  the  Brus,  a  metrical  chronicle  by  John 
Barbour,  archdeacon  of  Aberdeen  (d.  1395),  who  mentions  'Schyr 
William  the  Baroundoun '  and  '  Schyr  Gilbert  de  la  Haye '  among 
the  fugitives  from  the  battle  of  Methven.  Gilbert  Hay,  lord  of 
Errol  and  high  constable  of  Scotland,  was  the  ancestor  of  the 
earls  of  Erroll. 

III.    Loch  Coruisk 

From  canto  iii,  xii-xvi.  For  Bruce's  landing  in  Skye,  see 
introd.  note.  The  scene  described  is  perhaps  the  wildest  and 
grandest  in  the  British  isles.  Loch  Coruisk  (Gael.  Coire-uisge, 
i.e.  the  corrie  or  hollow  of  water)  is  a  small  lake  surrounded  by 
the  barren  peaks  of  the  Cuillin  hills  (see  note  on  1.  41,  p.  170 
above)  and  separated  only  by  a  narrow  isthmus  from  the  sea  at 
Loch  Scavaig.  Scott  visited  it  on  25  August  1814  and  has  left  a 
minute  prose  description  of  it  in  the  diary  printed  by  Lockhart 
in  his  Life  of  Scott.  '  Upon  the  whole,'  he  writes,  'though  I  have 
seen  many  scenes  of  more  extensive  desolation,  I  never  witnessed 
any  in  which  it  pressed  more  deeply  upon  the  eye  and  the  heart 
than  at  Loch  Corriskin;  at  the  same  time  that  its  grandeur 
elevated  and  redeemed  it  from  the  wild  and  dreary  character  of 
utter  barrenness.'  This  is  the  opinion  also  recorded  in  the  intro- 
duction to  canto  IV  of  The  Lord  of  the  Isles,  11.  19-27,  in  which 
Scott  says  of  the  Highlands : 

Such  are  the  scenes,  where  savage  grandeur  wakes 
An  awful  thrill  that  softens  into  sighs; 
Such  feelings  rouse  them  by  dim  Rannoch's  lakes. 
In  dark  Glencoe  such  gloomy  raptures  rise: 


77  NOTES  173 

Or,  farther,  where,  beneath  the  northern  skies. 
Chides  wild  Loch-Eribol  his  caverns  hoar — 
But,  be  the  minstrel  judge,  they  yield  the  prize 
Of  desert  dignity  to  that  dread  shore 
That  sees  grim  Coolin  rise,  and  hears  Coriskin  roar. 

3.  Mull]  Bruce  and  Ronald  sailed  from  Ardtornish,  which  is 
in  Morven,  the  peninsula  between  Loch  Linnhe  and  Loch  Sunart, 
through  the  sound  of  Mull,  which  separates  the  island  of  Mull 
from  the  mainland,  into  the  open  sea. 

4.  Ardnamurchan]  The  peninsula  north  of  Loch  Sunart,  on 
the  borders  of  Argyllshire  and  Inverness-shire. 

13.  his  shiver 'd  crest]  The  Cuillin  hills  are  composed  of  the 
hard  granitic  rock  called  hypersthene.  'The  tops  of  the  ridge,' 
says  Scott  in  his  diary,  '  apparently  inaccessible  to  human  foot, 
were  rent  and  split  into  the  most  tremendous  pinnacles.' 

16.  Scavigh  bay]    Loch  Scavaig,  on  the  south  coast  of  Skye. 

17.  calmer  heaven]  I.e.  they  were  delayed  by  a  calm  from 
landing  until  sunset. 

21.  Strathnardill  and  Dunskye]  Strathnardill  is  an  old 
form  of  Strathaird,  the  name  of  the  narrow  peninsula  on  the  east 
side  of  Loch  Scavaig.  By  Dunskye  Scott  appears  to  mean  the 
portion  of  the  island  west  of  Loch  Scavaig,  between  Soay  sound 
and  Loch  Brittle. 

31.    bolts]    Arrows. 

34.  a  wild  stream]  The  Scavaig,  the  outlet  of  Loch  Coruisk, 
called  by  Scott  a  'huddling  and  riotous  brook.' 

47.    by  my  halidome]    By  my  holy  dame,  i.e.  St  Mary. 

64.  Benmore]  Several  mountains  in  Scotland  bear  this  name 
(the  great  mountain).  Scott  evidently  refers  to  the  mountain 
(3843  ft)  in  Perthshire,  on  the  south  side  of  Glendochart,  near 
the  scene  of  Bruce's  defeat  by  John  of  Lorn. 

65.  Glencroe]  The  valley  between  Loch  Long  and  Loch  Fyne 
in  Argyllshire. 

66.  Cruchan-Ben]  Ben  Cruachan,  the  great  mountain  (3689 
ft)  between  Loch  Awe  and  Loch  Etive,  on  the  south  side  of  which 
the  Awe  flows  through  the  pass  of  Brander.     In   1308   Bruce 


174  NOTES  PP-  77- 

revenged  himself  upon  John  of  Lorn  for  the  defeat  of  Dairy  by 
hemming  him  round  in  the  pass  of  Brander,  where  most  of  the 
men  of  Lorn  were  slain  or  drowned. 

90.  the  Druid's  stone]  Scott  alludes  to  the  logan  or  rocking 
stones  which,  in  granite  districts  (e.g.  in  Cornwall  and  on  Dart- 
moor) are  found  balanced  upon  the  rocks  below — a  natural 
phenomenon  which,  like  others  that  seem  to  indicate  human 
agency,  was  at  one  time  supposed  to  be  the  work  of  the  Druids. 

117.  old.  Guchullin]  A  chieftain  in  the  Ossianic  poems.  The 
name  of  the  hills,  however,  is  in  Gaelic,  A  Chuilionn  (the  ridges), 
and  there  appears  to  be  no  ground  for  the  derivation  from 
Cuchullin. 

122.  -were]    Were  here. 

123.  His  maidens]  Torquil,  the  lord  of  Dunvegan  on  the 
north-west  coast  of  Skye,  plays  a  prominent  part  in  the  dispute 
at  Ardtornish  in  canto  11.  Dunvegan  castle,  the  seat  of  the 
Macleods,  was  visited  by  Scott  in  1814.  Macleod's  maidens  are 
three  isolated  basaltic  rocks  in  the  sea,  close  to  the  south  point 
of  Duirinish,  the  north-western  portion  of  the  island.  Scott, 
describing  a  stormy  night  at  Dunvegan,  says  that  the  rocks, 
covered  with  foam,  'seemed  no  bad  representatives  of  the 
Norwegian  goddesses,  called  Choosers  of  the  Slain,  or  Riders  of 
the  Storm.' 

124.  my  noble  Liege]  Ronald  is  addressing  Bruce  in  the 
third  person. 

125.  his  Nurse]  Torquil's  nurse.  Scott  alludes  to  the  water- 
fall known  as  the  Nurse  of  Rorie  Mhor,  near  Dunvegan  castle. 
Roderick  Macleod,  called  More  (the  great),  lived  in  the  reign  of 
James  VI :  the  name  was  given  to  the  waterfall  '  because  that 
chief  slept  best  in  its  vicinity.' 

129.  Corryvrekin]  The  rocky  strait  of  Corryvreckan  [Coire- 
bhreacain,  the  speckled  hollow  or  caldron),  separates  the  north 
end  of  the  isle  of  Jura  from  the  isle  of  Scarba.  The  tide  runs 
through  it  at  a  tremendous  pace  in  'a  succession  of  whirlpools.' 
The  Hag  (1.  130)  is  the  personified  spirit  of  the  place. 


8l  NOTES  175 

IV.    The  Voyage  to  Arran 

From  canto  iv,  x,  xi.  The  earlier  part  of  the  voyage  from  Skye 
is  described  in  vii-ix;  stanzas  vii  and  ix,  beginning  with  the  Une 
'Merrily,  merrily  bounds  the  bark,'  are  varied  in  x  and  xi.  The 
whole  passage  is  a  signal  instance  of  Scott's  power  of  describing 
rapidity  of  movement  and  his  abandonment  to  the  joy  of 
recapitulating  the  names  of  places,  each  of  which  had  for  him  its 
own  romantic  charm  and  historical  associations. 

5.  Mull]  See  note  on  1.  3,  p.  173  above.  Bruce  and  Ronald, 
on  their  southward  journey,  sail  outside  Mull,  through  the  channel 
between  it  and  the  isles  of  Coll  and  Tiree.  Ulva  and  Little 
Colonsay  (1.  6)  he  between  Mull  and  Staffa. 

8.  Staffa]  Staffa  (the  isle  of  columns),  so  called  because  of 
the  pillar-like  formation  of  its  basaltic  rocks,  similar  to  those  of 
the  Giants'  causeway  in  the  north  of  Ireland,  lies  south  of  the 
small  archipelago  off  the  coast  of  Mull,  which  hems  it  in  when  it 
is  approached  from  the  north. 

9.  all  unknown]  Staffa,  which  is  uninhabited,  was  unknown 
to  all  but  the  fishers  of  the  neighbouring  islands,  until  it  was  dis- 
covered by  sir  Joseph  Banks  during  his  voyage  to  Iceland  in 
1772. 

13.  that  wondrous  dome]  Fingal's  cave,  at  the  south  end 
of  Staffa. 

27.  lona]  lona  lies  about  six  miles  south  of  Staffa.  Scott 
contrasts  the  ruined  cathedral  church  of  the  diocese  of  the  Isles, 
the  work  of  human  hands,  with  Nature's  temple  of  Fingal's  cave. 

36.  Loch-Tua]    The  strait  between  Mull  and  Ulva. 

37.  Tiree]  See  note  on  1.  5  above.  The  island  lies  south-west 
of  Coll  (1.  38),  the  laird  of  which  entertained  Johnson  and  Boswell 
during  their  tour  in  the  Hebrides. 

39.  Columba's  isle]  lona  or  Hy,  known  as  Icolmkill  (the 
island  of  Columb  of  the  church),  from  the  monastery  founded  by 
St  Columb,  the  apostle  of  Scotland,  in  563. 

45.  Lochbuie]  Loch  Buy,  on  the  south  coast  of  Mull,  was  the 
seat  of  the  head  of  a  branch  of  the  Maclaines. 


176  NOTES  pp.  81- 

47.  Hay]  The  islands  mentioned  in  11.  47-52  lie  off  the  coast 
of  southern  Argyllshire.  The  small  island  of  Scarba  (see  note  on 
1.  129,  p.  174  above).  Jura  and  Tslay  lie  in  a  line  from  north  to 
south,  divided  from  each  other  by  narrow  sounds.  Colonsay, 
not  the  smaller  island  referred  to  in  1.  6,  is  outside  the  group, 
west  of  Jura. 

59.  Levsen]  John  Leyden  (1775-1811),  a  scholar  to  whose 
researches  Scott  was  greatly  indebted  for  material  for  his  Border 
Minstrelsy ,  was  the  author  of  a  ballad  entitled  Macphail  of 
Colonsay,  and  the  Mermaid  of  Corrievrekin.  Leyden  left  Scotland 
to  practise  as  a  surgeon  in  India,  where  he  made  great  progress 
in  the  study  of  Oriental  languages.  He  died  at  Cornells  in  the 
island  of  Java  in  181 1. 


V.    The  Death  of  Argentine 

From  canto  vi,  xxxii-xxxiv.  Sir  Giles  Argentine,  says  Scott, 
'was  one  of  the  most  accomplished  knights  of  the  period.  He 
had  served  in  the  wars  of  Henry  of  Luxemburg'  [the  emperor 
Henry  VII]  'with  such  high  reputation,  that  he  was,  in  popular 
estimation  the  third  worthy  of  the  age.  Those  to  whom  fame 
assigned  precedence  over  him  were  Henry  of  Luxemburg  him- 
self and  Robert  Bruce.  Argentine  had  warred  in  Palestine,  en- 
countered thrice  with  the  Saracens  and  had  slain  two  antagonists 
in  each  engagement:  an  easy  matter,  he  said,  for  one  Christian 
knight  to  slay  two  pagan  dogs.'  Scott  founded  the  story  of  his 
death  upon  the  tradition  that  he  and  Aymer  de  Valence,  earl  of 
Pembroke,  were  chosen  to  guard  Edward  II  at  Bannockburn: 
when  he  saw  Edward  safely  in  retreat,  he  said  '  God  be  with  you, 
sir:  it  is  not  my  wont  to  fly,'  and  met  his  death  as  described  in 
the  poem.  The  Argenteyns,  who  took  their  name  from  Argentan 
in  Normandy,  the  place  of  their  origin,  were  lords  of  Horseheath 
in  Cambridgeshire. 

9.  Saint  James]  The  patron  saint  of  pilgrims.  His  name 
was   an   appropriate   war-cry   for   Argentine,   who  had   been   a 


84  NOTES  177 

pilgrim  and  crusader  in  Palestine.  The  shrine  of  St  James  was  at 
Santiago  de  Compostela  in  Spain.   Cf.  note  on  1.  107,  p.  99  above. 

15.  Colonsay's  fierce  lord]  '  Macduffith,  lord  of  Colonsay ' 
{Lord  of  the  Isles,  canto  11,  xvii).  For  Colonsay  see  note  on  1.  47, 
p.  176  above. 

23.  cuish]  The  cuisse  is  the  steel  piece  of  armour  which 
defends  the  thighs.  Its  development  belongs  to  a  period  rather 
later  than  the  battle  of  Bannockburn,  when  plate-armour  was 
in  its  infancy. 

38.  The  kind,  the  noble,  and  the  brave]  These  qualities, 
'the  three  chief  requisites  of  a  noble  knight,'  were  taken  by  Scott 
from  the  rhyming  Latin  poem  on  Bannockburn  by  Robert 
Baston,  a  Carmelite  friar,  who,  engaged  by  Edward  II  to  sing 
his  victory  was  taken  prisoner  by  Bruce  and  compelled  to  cele- 
brate his  master's  defeat.    He  says  of  Argentine : 

Nobilis  Argenten,  pugil  inclyte,  dulcis  Egidi, 
Vix  scieram  mentem  cum  te  succumbere  vidi, 

i.e.  'Noble  Argentine,  famed  warrior,  courteous  Giles,  I  was 
well-nigh  out  of  my  mind  when  I  saw  thee  fall.' 

44.  couch  his  lance]  Lay  his  lance  in  rest  preparatory  to 
charging. 

51.  Lord  £arl]  Argentine  addresses  Bruce,  whom  he  regards 
as  a  rebel  to  his  own  king,  by  his  title  of  earl  of  Carrick.  The  house 
of  Bruce  or  Brus,  came  from  Bruis  in  Normandy.  The  founder  of 
the  race,  from  whom  the  king  of  Scotland  was  descended  in  the 
eighth  generation,  received  lands  from  the  Conqueror  in  North 
Yorkshire.  His  son  was  granted  the  lordship  of  Annandale  by 
David  I  of  Scotland  in  1124.  Bruce's  father  married  Marjory, 
countess  of  Carrick;  the  south  part  of  Ayrshire,  and  the  earldom 
of  Carrick  passed  to  Bruce  himself  on  his  mother's  death  in  1292. 
Bruce's  claim  to  the  crown  of  Scotland  was  founded  upon  the 
marriage  of  his  great-grandfather  to  Isabel,  niece  of  king  William 
the  Lion. 

53.  our  meeting]  The  combat  challenged  by  Argentine 
during  the  quarrel  at  Ardtornish,  described  in  canto  11. 

T.s.  12 


178  NOTES  pp.  84- 

65.  Ninian's  convent]  St  Ninian's,  locally  known  as  St 
Ringan's,  is  the  church  of  the  parish  in  which  Bannockburn  is 
situated.    Scott  converts  it  into  a  monastery. 

66.  late- wake]  Vigils  of  the  dead,  at  which  the  offices  known 
as  Placebo  and  Dirige  from  the  opening  words  of  their  psalms 
were  chanted.  The  word  is  properly  'lyke-wake,'  i.e.  watchings 
over  a  corpse  (Old  English  lie,  which  similarly  appears  in  '  lych- 
gate'),  and  the  first  part  has  nothing  to  do  with  'late.' 

HELLVELLYN 

Written  in  1805  after  an  ascent  of  Helvellyn  in  company  with 
Wordsworth  and  sir  Humphrey  Davy.  The  event  alluded  to  in 
the  poem  is  the  death  of  a  young  man  called  Charles  Gough,  who 
lost  his  way  and  perished  on  Helvellyn  in  April  1805.  His  remains 
were  discovered  on  22  July  in  the  same  year,  guarded  by  his 
terrier,  who  had  managed  to  keep  herself  alive.  Wordsworth's 
poem  Fidelity  refers  to  the  same  incident. 

5.  Striden-edge]  The  Striding  edge  and  Catchedicam  (1.  6) 
are  the  precipitous  ridges  on  the  north-east  side  of  Helvellyn, 
flanking  the  hollow  in  which  the  Red  tarn  lies  beneath  the 
summit  of  the  mountain.   Cf.  Wordsworth,  Fidelity,  17-21: 

It  was  a  cove,  a  huge  recess. 

That  keeps,  till  June,  December's  snow; 

A  lofty  precipice  in  front, 

A  silent  tarn  below. 
1 6.   the  hill-fox  and  the  raven]  Cf .  Wordsworth,  Fidelity,  1,2: 

A  barking  sound  the  Shepherd  hears, 

A  cry  as  of  a  dog  or  fox, 
and  26,  27 

The  crags  repeat  the  raven's  note 

In  symphony  austere. 
21.    requiem]    Service  for  the  dead.    See  note  on  1.  4,  p.  146 
above. 

27.  scutcheons]  Shields  with  armorial  bearings.  Cf.  note  on 
1.  25,  p.  108  above. 


90  NOTES  179 


THE  PALMER 

This  short  ballad  was  written  in  1806.  The  scene  is  a  ranger's 
lodge  in  the  forest  of  Ettrick. 

9.  Palmer]  A  pilgrim  from  the  Holy  land,  so  called  from  the 
palm-branch  which  he  carried  in  token  of  his  wanderings.  See 
Marmion,  1,  xxiii,  xxiv,  for  the  description  of  the  visits  of  the 
palmer  of  the  tale  to  various  holy  places. 

14,  15.  Cf.  The  Gray  Brother,  106,  p.  5  above.  For  the  custom 
of  bringing  back  pardons  and  relics  from  abroad  see  Chaucer's 
description  of  the  pardoner  in  Cant.  Tales,  A  669  sqq.,  with  his 
wallet  'bret-ful  of  pardoun  come  from  Rome  al  hoot'  and  his 
various  relics. 

17.  her  form]  The  hiding-place  of  a  hare  in  grass,  so  called 
from  the  form  or  impression  of  the  body  left  in  it. 

33.    The  Ranger]    See  note  on  1.  27,  p.  156  above. 

HUNTING  SONG 

Written  in  1808  as  part  of  the  conclusion  added  by  Scott  to 
the  unfinished  romance  of  Queenhoo  Hall  by  Joseph  Strutt 
(1749-1802)  and  printed  in  the  general  preface  to  Waverley  (1814). 

THE  SPINDLE  SONG 

Sung  by  Meg  Merrilies  to  her  spindle  in  Ellangowan  castle, 
after  the  birth  of  the  young  heir  in  Guy  Mannering  (181 5),  ch.  iv. 

ON  THE  MASSACRE  OF  GLENCOE,   1692 

The  metrical  form  of  these  eloquent  lines,  published  in  1814, 
was  clearly  suggested  by  Campbell's  noble  lyric  of  Hohenlinden, 
which  had  been  published'in  1802.  For  the  massacre  of  Glencoe 
see  Macaulay,  Hist.  England,  ch.  xviii:  the  massacre  of  the  Mac- 
donalds  on  13  Feb.  1691-2,  ostensibly  due  to  the  chief  of  the 
clan's  failure  to  take  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  WiUiam  III  within 
the  prescribed  time,  was  really  an  act  of  revenge  instigated  by 
John,  earl  of  Breadalbane,  whose  lands  the  clan  had  plundered. 

12 — 2 


l8o  NOTES  pp.  90- 

3.  the  desert  of  Glencoe]  Glencoe  (the  glen  of  weeping)  is 
near  the  northern  border  of  Argyllshire,  opening  out  of  Loch 
Leven,  an  arm  of  Loch  Linnhe.  Macaulay  describes  it  as  'the 
most  dreary  and  melancholy  of  all  the  Scottish  passes,  the  very 
Valley  of  the  Shadow  of  Death.' 

11.  the  erne]    The  golden  eagle. 

22.    snood.]    A  fillet  for  binding  the  hair. 

25.  Cf .  St  Matth.  xxvi.  23 :  '  He  that  dippeth  his  hand  with  me 
in  the  dish,  the  same  shall  betray  me.' 

JOCK  OF  HAZELDEAN 

The  first  stanza  of  this  ballad,  written  in  18 16,  was  taken  from 
an  ancient  source.  Hazeldean,  now  called  H^assendean,  is  in 
Roxburghshire,  north  of  Hawick.  The  speaker  who  tempts  the 
lady  with  the  offer  of  his  son's  hand  is  a  Northumberland  laird: 
Errington  or  Elrington  and  Langley  (11.  11,  12)  are  on  the  south 
side  of  the  Tyne  valley,  between  Hexham  and  Haltwhistle.  The 
theme  much  resembles  that  of  Allen-a-Dale  (p.  157  above). 

7.    she  loot]    She  let. 

19.    manag'd]    Trained,  controlled. 

29.    bower  and  ha']    See  note  on  '  bower,'  1.  2,  p.  102  above. 

PIBROCH  OF  DONUIL  DHU 

Written  in  1816.  For 'pibroch'  see  note  on  1.  15,  p.  141  above. 
Donuil  Dhu,  Donald  the  Black,  was  a  chieftain  of  the  Campbell 
or  Conuil  clan. 

12.  Inverlochy]  The  mouth  of  the  Lochy  river  at  the  head 
of  Loch  Linnhe,  near  Fort  William. 

19,  20.  Cf.  the  incidents  in  the  summoning  of  the  clans  by  the 
Fiery  cross  in  The  Lady  of  the  Lake,  iii,  xv-xxiii. 

REBECCA'S  HYMN 

Sung  by  the  Jewess  Rebecca  in  her  prison  at  Templestowe, 
before  her  interview  with  the  Templar,  sir  Brian  de  Bois-Guilbert, 
in  Ivanhoe  (1819-20),  ch.  xxxix.  The  poem  is  largely  a  cento  of 


96  NOTES  l8l 

quotations  from  Scripture;  for  11.  1-2  see  Ps.  cxiv.  i,  2;  11.  5-8, 
Ex.  xiii.  21  and  Ps.  cv.  39;  11.  9-12,  Ex.  xv.  20  and  Ps.  Ixviii.  25; 
11.  13-16,  Ps.  xliv.  9  sqq.;  1.  24,  St  John  v.  35;  11.  25,  26,  Ps. 
cxxxvii,  2-4;  11.  29-32,  Ps.  1.  13  and  li.  16,  17. 

COUNTY  GUY 

The  song  of  the  'Lady  of  the  Lute,'  the  countess  Isabelle  of 
Croye,  overheard  by  Quentin  Durward  at  the  castle  of  Plessis- 
16s-Tours  in  Quentin  Durward  (1823),  ch.  iv.    County  =count. 


INDEX 


Abbotsford,  114,  169 

Achray,    loch,    133,    139,    143, 

144 
Admiral,  The,  131 
airy,  130 
Albany,  Murdoch,  duke  of,  145 

—  Robert,  duke  of,  145 
Albert,  Lord,  99 

Albin,  155 
Albyn,  169 
Aldhan,  Bishop,  123 
Alexander  III,  116 
Alfred's  falchion,  124 
Alfred  the  great,  124 
all  unknown,  175 
Allan-Bane,  133  ff.,  146 
Allan-Bane's  Lament,  146 
AUen-a-Dale,  157,  180 
Alne,  the,  121 
Alnmouth,  121 
Alnwick,  104,  121 
altar's  pale,  113 
Ahvyn,  Pavilion  of,  169 
Ambleside,  no,  162 
Ambuscade,  The,  144 
Ancrum  moor,  battle  of,  108 
Angus,   earls   of,    117,   127-37, 

143 

—  Lady,  117 
Annandale,  177 
Arabian  Nights,  163 
Ardnamurchan,  173 
Ardoch,  river,  145 
Ardtornish,  165,  173-7 
Argentan,  176 

Argentine,  Sir  Giles,  165-8,  176, 

177 
Arkengarthdale,  157 
Arkindale,  157 
Arkingarth,  153 


armed,  145 
Arran,  isle  of,  167 
Artemis,  priest  of,  97 
Arthur,  king,  160-3 
Ashestiel,  114,  132 
Athens,  97 
Athol,  143 
Auchendinny,  98 
Augustine,  father,  167 
Auld  Reekie,  125 
Autumn  on  Tweedside,  169 
Avoid  thee,  Fiend  !  132 
Awe,  loch,  173 

balanc'd,  162 

Balder,  154,  158 

Bale-fire,  The,  109 

Balfour,  David,  125 

Baliol,  Bernard,  153 

Bamborough,  121,  122 

Bamburgh:  see  Bamborough 

ban-dog,  in 

Banks,  sir  Joseph,  175 

banner'd     towers     of     Doune, 

145 
banner'd  walls,  153 
banners,  no,  163 
Bannochar:  see  Bennachra 
Bannockburn,  130,  146,  165-8, 

176-8 
Barbed,  104 
Barbour,  John,  archdeacon  of 

Aberdeen,  172 
Barendown,  172 
Barmoor,  129 
Barnard  Castle,  147-59 
Baron    of   Ravensworth,    The, 

157 
Baston,  Robert,  177 

battled,  119,  163 


i84 


INDEX 


Bayeux  tapestry,  119 

Bebba,  121 

Beblowe  rock,  the,  122 

Beckford,  William,  163 

Bede,  Venerable,  120 

beetle  sounds  his  hum,   when 

the,  156 
Bellenden,  sir  James,  98 
Beltane,  142 
belted,  157 

—  sword,  103 
Ben  A'an,  139,  141 

—  Cruachan,  173 

—  Douran,  171 
Bendourish  fell,  171 
Benledi's  living  side,  144 
Benmore,  173 
Bennachra,  143 
Benvenue,  134,  139.  141 
Bertram,  an  archer,  137 
Berwick,  118 

Bethune  (Beaton),  Janet,  102 
Beverley  (de) , Constance,  1 1 5-7, 

129-32 
Bevis,  Marmion's  horse,  116 
Bewcastle,  164 
Birdoswaid,  164 
Biscop,  Benet,  120 
Bishop  Auckland,  153,  159 
Bishop- Wearmouth,  120 
Blackford  hill,  117,  125 
Black  friars,  99 
■ —  prince,  108 
Blair  Drummond,  146 
Blake,  sir  Francis,  130 
Blanche  of  Devan,  135 
blast  of  bugle,  98 
blessed  rood,  the,  163 
Blount,  130 
Blyth,  120,  121 
Blythe  and  Wansbeck  floods, 

the,  121 
Boat  Song,  141 
Bois-Guilbert   (de),    sir   Brian, 

180 
bolts,  173 


Boon,  140 

Border,  The  Defenceless,  164 

Borough  muir,  98 

Boswell,  James,  175 

Bosworth,  128,  154 

Both  well  castle,  128 

Bothwell's  house,  146 

Boune,  sir  Henry,  168 

bower,  102 

bower  and  ha',  180 

Bowes  moor,  159 

—  the  tower  of,  159,  160 
bowne  them,  no 
Brackenbury,  sir  Robert,  154 
Brackenbury's  dungeon-tower, 

153 
Brander,  pass  of,  173,  174 
Branksome:  see  Branxholm 
Branxholm,  100-9 
Breadalbane,  142,  171 

—  John,  earl  of,  179 
Breadalbane's  boast,  146 
Brian,  134,  135 

Bride,  St,  of  Bothwell,  128 
Brignall  banks,  149,  156 
Brittany,  earls  of,  158,  159 
Brittle,  loch,  173 
Brodick  bay,  167 
Brooch  of  Lorn,  The,  170 
Brough,  Westmorland,  160 
Browning,  Robert,  141,  159 
Bruce,  Edward,  165-7 

—  Isabel,  165-8 

—  Robert,  130,  165-77 
Bmis,  177 

Brusleton  and  Houghton  height, 

153 
Brusselton,  153 
Buccleuch,  loi,  103 

—  Anne,  duchess  of,  100 

—  dukes  of,  98,  114 
Bueth,  lord  of  Gilsland,  164 
bugle,  his,  169 
Burndale's  ruin'd  grange,  98 
Buy,  loch,  175 

Byron,  lord,  140,  169 


INDEX 


185 


Cadell,  Robert,  132 

Caen,  115 

Caldron  and  High-Force,  158 

—  Snout,  158 
Caledon,  139 
Caledonia,  in 
Caliburn,  163 
Callander,  144,  145 
calmer  heaven,  173 
Cambuskenneth  abbey,  136,  168 
Campbell,  171 

—  clan,  180 

—  Thomas,  179 
Canmore,  Malcolm,  158 
Cannobie  Lee,  127 
Canonbie,  127 
Canterbury,  108 
Carhonie,  145 

Carlisle,  104,  in,  160,  162 
Carmelites,  99 
Carnethy  hill,  97 
Carnethy's  head,  98 
Carrick,  earldom  of,  167,  177 

—  Marjory,  countess  of,  177 
Carrs,  the:  see  Kerrs 
Carthusians,  107 
Cartland's  Crags,  155 
Castell,  John,  prior  of  Durham, 

122 
castles  are  my  King's  alone.  My, 

128 
Catchedicam,  178 
cavin,  no 

Celano,  Thomas  of,  114 
Cessford,  106 
champion  brave,  thy,  155 
Charles  I,  159 

—  II,  103 
Chatterton,  104 

Chaucer,    Geoffrey,    104,    156, 

179 
Chester,  132 
Chester-le-Street,  123 
Cheviot,  119 

Cheviots,  the,  106,  119, 129, 164 
Chevy  Chase,  121 


Cistercian  monks,  106,  107 
Clan-Alpine,  133,  136,  142.  143 
Clan-Alpine's  shade,  146 
Clare,  the  heiress,   115-8,   124, 

128,  137 
CHfford,  166-8 
cloister-arches,  the,  106 
Closeburn,  172 
Clyde,  river,  143,  155 
Cochrane,  Robert,  earl  of  Mar, 

127,  128 
Coilantogle,  138,  145 
Coldstream,  123,  129 
Coleridge,  Samuel  Taylor,  102, 

132,  155,  160,  165,  169 
Coll,  isle  of,  175 
Collins,  William,  170 
Colonsay,  176,  177 

—  Little.  175 

—  lord  of,  168 
Colonsay's  fierce  lord,  177 
Colquhouns,  the,  143 
Columba's  isle,  175 

Comyn,    John    (Red    Comyn), 

165,  170-2 
Conqueror,  the,  124 
Constance,  131 
continent,  122 
Coolin's  hills,  170 
Coquet,  river,  105,  121 
Coquet-isle,  121 
corbells,  108 
Corinth,  97 
Cornells,  176 
coronach,  144 
correi,  144 
Corryvrekin,  174 
corslet  laced,  103 
Coruisk,  loch,  166,  172,  173 
Cotherstone,  155 
couch  his  lance,  177 
Cowton  moor,  124 
Craig- Forth,  146 
Cranstoun,  Henry,  100.  loi,  iii 
Crawford,  earls  of,  113 
Crianlarich,  138 


12- 


i86 


INDEX 


Crichton  castle,  ii6,  117 
Crook  beck,  155 
cross  divine,  he  took  the,  1 1 1 
croupe,  the,  127 
Cruchan-Ben,  173 
CuchulUn  hills,  170,  172,  173 

—  old,  174 

Cuillin  hills:  see  CuchulUn  hills 
cuish,  177 
cumber,  144 
cushat,  169 
custoiTi,  the,  104 

Dacre,  Elizabeth,  104 

—  lord,  100,  loi,  131 
Dalkeith,  Harriet,  countess  of, 

99 
Dalkeith,  98 

Dairy,  battle  of,  170,  173 
Dalton-hall,  156 
Danes,  the,  122-4,  ^5^ 
Dante,  106 

dark  presage,  the,  131 
dark-red  pile,  122 
darken'd  roof.  The,  107 
Darlington,  153,  154 
Dartmoor,  174 
David  I,  99,  106,  124,  177 

—  II,  108 
Davies,  sir  John,  127 
Davy,  sir  Humphrey,  178 
Dawn  and  Sunrise,  152 
Deanstown,  145 

Death  of  Argentine,  The,  176 

—  of  Marmion,  The,  130 
deep  defile,  the,  129 

—  steeple,  yon,  147 
Deepdale,  155 
Delaval,  family  of,  120 
Deloraine,  William  of,  100,  loi, 

106,  127 
demi-volte,  126 
Denmark's  raven,  158 
Denzil,  Guy,  149,  150-2 
Dickens,  Charles,  156 
dight,  104 


Dillon,  Wentworth,  114 
dim-wood,  130 

—  glen,  155 
Dochart,  171 
Doine,  loch,  144 
Dominicans,  99 
donjon,  163 

—  keep,  the,  119 
Donuil  Dhu,  180 
Douchart's  sounding  dell,  171 
Douglas  and  Marmion,  127 

—  brand,  the,  171 

—  Gavin,  129 

—  house   of,    105,    108,    117, 
127-37,  146,  171 

Doune,  145,  146,  153 

—  lord,  146 
Druid's  stone,  the,  174 
drum,  his,  141 

Drummond,  William,  98,  113 
Druridge  bay,  121 

Dry den,  113 
Duirinish,  174 
Dumbarton,  143 
Dumfries,  170,  171 
Dumpender  Law,  no 
Dunbar,  no 
Duncraggan,  143,  144 
Dunedin,  105,  no 
Dunholme,  123 
Dunkeld,  129 

Dunmail  raise,  cairn  of,  no 
Dunskye,  173 
Dunstanborough,  121 
Dunvegan,  174 
Durham,  99,  118-24 
Durward,  Quentin,  181 
Dwarf's  swart  hands,  171 
Dymokes,  the,  115 
Dysart,  112 

Eadmer,  123 
Eardulf,  123 
Earl,  lord,  177 
earn,  109 
earth-born  castles,  139 


INDEX 


187 


east  oriel,  the,  108 
Eden,  river,  153 
Edinburgh,  100,  105,  no,  112, 
117,  118,  125,  126,  129,  130 
Edinburgh  Annual  Register,  161 
Edith,  165-8 
Edmund,  131 

—  of  Winston,  150-6 
Edmund's  Songs,  156 
Edward  I,  116,  130,  167,  168 

—  II,  176,  177 

Edwin,   king  of  Northumbria, 

105 
Egelwin,  bishop,  124 
Egglestone,  15 1-5 
EgUston,  154 
Ellangowan  castle,  179 
Ellen,  the  Lady  of  the  Lake, 

133-47 
Ellen's  Song,  141 
Elliot,  105 
Ellis,  George,  155 
Emblems   of  punishment   and 

pride,  140 
Enchanted  Goblet,  The,  163 
England's    love,     or    France's 

fear?  171 
English   advance   at   Flodden, 

The,  129 
erne,  the,  180 
Errington,  180 
Erroll,  earls  of,  172 
Esk,  river,  108,  in,  126,  127, 

164 

—  Black,  river,  103 

—  North,  river,  112,  113,  155 

—  White,  river,  103 
Eskdale,  164 
Eskdalemuir,  103 
Eske's  fair  woods,  98 
Etive,  loch,  173 
Ettrick,  106,  III,  169 

—  forest,  102,  103,  106,  108, 

114.  179 

—  water,  103,  106 
Eure,  lord,  108 


Even  she,  146 
Evening,  159 
ever-green  Pine,  the,  142 
Ewes,  164 

fain,  157 

fair  Castile,  in,  107 

Fairfax,  148 

Falaise,  115 

Falkirk,  130 

Falkland  palace,  133 

Farewell,  147 

Featherstone  castle,  164 

Fenwicks,  the,  127 

Ferniehirst,  106 

Ferrers,  family  of,  115 

fiend.  The,  157 

Fiennes,  family  of,  157 

Fiery  Cross,  The,  143 

Fife,  112,  126 

Filland  water,  171 

Fingal's  cave,  175 

Finlas  water,  143 

FitzEustace,     the    page,     116, 

130-2 
FitzEustace's  Song,  125 
Fitzhughs,  the,  157 
Fitz- James,  James,  133-45 
Flambard,  Ranulf,  118,  119 
Flodden,  114-8,  124,  128,  129, 

131 

foliage-bound,  113 

font,  144 

Fontenay-le-Marmion  (Calva- 
dos), 115 

forest  race,  the,  102 

form,  her,  179 

Forsters,  Fenwicks,  and  Mus- 
graves,  127 

—  The,  127 
Fort  William,  180 
Forth,  Dark,  146 

—  firth  of,  98,  no,  112,  126 

—  river,  139,  142,  144,  146 
fragments  of  an  earlier  world, 

The,  141 


i88 


INDEX 


Froissart,  107 
Fruin  water,  143 
Fyne,  loch,  173 

Gala,  169 
Galashiels,  169 
galliard,  a,  127 
Galloway,  124 

—  John  of,  103 
Galwegians,  124 
Gartchonzie,  145 
Gawain,  129 
Genii,  163 
George,  St,  109 
George's  banner,  St,  119 

- —  chapel,  St,  in 

—  red  cross,  St,  104 
giants,  like,  141 
Gifford,  116,  118,  131 
Gilbert  the  page,  109 
Gilmanscar,  153 
Gilmerton,  97,  98 
Gilsland,  160,  164 
glaive,  145 
glances,  142 
Glastonbury,  124 
Glen  Finglas,  144 

—  Fruin,  143 
Glen-Luss  and  Ross-dhu,  143 
Glencoe,  massacre  of,  179,  180 

—  the  desert  of,  180 
Glencroe,  173 
Glenderamakin,  162 
Glendochart,  138,  171,  173 
glist'ning  streamers,  140 
Goblin  cave,  134 
Gordale  scar,  127 
Gordons,  the,  126  • 
Gough,  Charles,  178 
Gowrie,  143 

Graeme,  Malcolm,   133-7,   142, 

147 
Graemes,  the,  in,  126 
Grahams:  see  Graemes 
Grampians,  171 
Gray  Friar,  a,  99 


Greta,  river,   147-9,   155,   156, 
160 

—  woods,  156 
Grey,  house  of,  115 
GreyJFriars'    church,    Dumfries, 

170 

Stirling,  147 

guardian  streams.  Her,  160 
Guendolen,  160-3 
Gyneth,  160,  161 

Haddington,  no,  116 

half- worn  letters,  some,  131 

halidome,  by  my,  173 

Hall,  sir  James,  of  Dunglas,  109 

Haltwhistle,  164,  180 

Hamilton  of  Bothwellhaugh,  98 

Hamilton,  James,  no 

Hampton  court  palace,  159 

Hare  Stone,  98 

Harley-burn,  164 

harness,  103 

Harold,  112 

Harold's  Song,  112 

Harries,  170 

Hassendean:  see  Hazeldean 

haunted  Woodhouselee,  98 

Hawick,  102,  103,  164,  180 

Hawthornden,  cavern'd,  113 

—  classic,  98 
Hay,  Gilbert,  172 
Haye  (de  la),  172 
Hazeldean,  180 
Hebrides,  170,  175 
Helvellyn,  178 
Henry  II,  122 

—  VII,  131 

—  VIII.  118,  145 

— ■  of  Luxemburg,  176 

—  son  of  David  I,  124 
Hermitage  castle,  loi,  108,  128 
Heron,  lady,  126 

Heron,  lord,  of  Gilmerton,  97, 

99 
Herries,  145 
Hexham,  180 


INDEX 


189 


Hexham,  bishop  of,  99 

High-Force,  158 

high,  high  mass,  the,  97 

hill-fox  and  the  raven,  the,  178 

Hingwar,  158 

holiest  word,  the,  97 

Holy  Island,  120,  122 

—  land,  171,  179 
holy  shrine,  each,  105 
Holyrood  palace,  117,  126,  135 
Horner,  Gilpin,  99 
Horseheath,  Cambs.,  176 
Horsley,  John,  120 
Houghton,  153 

Howard,  Charles,  earl  of  Car- 
lisle, 104 

—  Edmund,  131 

—  Thomas,  duke  of  Norfolk, 
104 

earl  of  Surrey,  114, 128, 

129,  131 

—  William,  loi,  104,  105 
Hubba,  158 

Humber,  river,  162 

Hy;  see  lona 

Hymn  for  the  Dead,  113 

Ida,  king  of  Northumbria,  122 

idle  lay,  an,  147 

idle?se,  102 

Hay,  176 

Inderawude,  99 

Inverlochy,  180 

Invocation,  138 

lona,  166,  168,  170,  175 

—  abbot  of,  166 
Irthing,  river,  104 

Isabel,    niece    of   William    the 

Lion,  177 
Isabelle  of  Croye,  181 
Islay,  170,  176 

jack,  145 
James  I,  154 

—  II,  112,  128 

—  Ill,  112,  127 


James  IV,  114-7,  126-30,  145 

—  V,  105,  I32ff.,  146 

—  VI.  143,  174 
Jarrow,  120 
Java,  island  of,  176 
Jedburgh,  104,  106 
Jeddart  staff,  104 
Jed  valley,  106 
Jedwood-axe,  104 
jennet,  107 
Johnson,  Samuel,  175 
Jonson,  Ben,  98 
Jura,  isle  of,  174,  176 

Katherine  of  Aragon,  118 

Katrine,  loch,  132-44 

Keble,  John,  169 

keep,  no,  162 

Keir,  146 

Kelso,  103,  106 

Kelton  fell,  153 

Kemper,  159 

Kensington,    South,    museum, 

159 
Kerrs,  the,  105,  106 
Keswick,  no,  140,  160,  162 
kind,  the  noble,  and  the  brave, 

The,  177 
Kirkcaldy,  112 
Kirkpatrick,  sir  Roger,  172 
Kirkpatrick's  bloody  dirk,  171 

ladder,  his,  141 

Ladye,  the,  102 

lady's  voice,  a,  132 

lake,  the,  144 

Lammermuir  hills,  no 

Lanark,  128,  155 

Lancaster,  Thomas,  earl  of,  121 

Langholm,  164 

Langley,  180 

—  beck,  154 
Lanrick    castle:    see   Lendrick 

castle 
Lanrick  mead,  134,  144 
lanim.  no 


190 


INDEX 


Lasswade,  97,  98 
late-wake,  178 
Lauder,  church  of,  127 

—  bridge  of,  128 
Lavatrae,  159 

Lay  of  Havelok  the  Dane,  104 
Lay  of  the  Imprisoned  Hunts- 
man, 147 
Layton,  sir  Brian,  108 
Leland,  154 
Lendrick  castle,  145 
Lennel,  129 

Lennox  and  Leven-glen,  143 
Leny,  river,  144 
Leo  X,  pope,  159 
letter  forg'd,  a,  129 
Leven,  loch,  180 

—  river,  143 
Lewis,  isle  of,  170 
Leyden,  176 
Lichfield  cathedral,  118 
Liddel,  108,  164 
Liddesdale,  loi,  108,  164 

—  the  dark  knight  of,  108 
Lincoln,  162 

—  green,  the,  157 
Lindesay,  The,  126 
Lindesay's  heir.  Lord,  113 
Lindisfarne,  abbot  of,  115 

—  isle  of,  115, 116, 122-4, 129, 

131 

Lindsay,  sir  David,  116,  126 

—  sir  James,  172 

—  sir  John,  113 
Linlithgow,  98,  no 
Linnhe,  loch,  173,  180 
livelier  twihght,  a,  153 
Lochbuie,  175 
Lochinvar,  126 
Lochy  river,  180 
Lockiiart,    John   Gibson,    114, 

132,  161,  162,  172 
Lodon,  124 
Lomond,  loch,  143 
Long,  loch,  173 
Longtown,  103,  108,  126 


loot,  she,  180 

lordly  strand  of  Northumber- 
land, The,  119 
Lorn,  lord  of,  165-8 
Lothian,  97,  106,  no,  113,  124 

—  East,  126 

—  marquesses  of,  99,  106 
Lubnaig,  loch,  144 
Luffness,  145 

Lufra,  136 
Lune  forest,  153 

—  river,  153,  155 
Lunedale  wild,  153 
Luss,  143 

Lutterworth,  Leics.,  115 
Lybian,  163 

Lyulph,  160,  162,  164 

Macaulay,  Thomas  Babington, 

156,  179,  180 
Macdonalds,  the,  179 
McDougal,  John,  171,  173 
Macduffith,   lord   of  Colonsay, 

177 
Mace,  the,  158 
Macgregors,  the,  143 
Mackay,  Clan,  170 
Mackenzie,  Henry,  98 
Maclaines,  the,  175 
Macleods,  the,  174 
Magic  Castle,  The,  162 
magic  maze,  thy,  139 
maidens.  His,  174 
Malcolm,  king  of  Scotland,  122 
Malise,  134,  143 
manag'd,  180 
Mar,  earl  of,  134-7 
marble  grey,  154 
Margaret,  dame,  133 
Marmion,  11 4-1 32 
Marston  moor,  148,  150 
Mary  of  Guise,  no 
Mary,  queen  of  Scots,  no,  132 
Matilda,  heiress  of  Rokeby,  148- 

52 
Medea,  97 


INDEX 


IQI 


meeting,  our,  177 
Melrose,  169 

—  abbey,    100,    loi,    106-8, 
113.  123 

—  battle  of,  105 

—  by  moonlight,  106 
Melville,  98 

Menteith     and      Breadalbane, 

142 
Menteith,  142,  143 
Merlin,  161 
Merrilies,  Meg,  179 
merry,  105 

Methven,  143,  170,  172 
mickle,  157 
Mickle  fell,  153 
Middleton,  158 
Middleton-in-Teesdale,       153, 

154 
mighty  trench  of  living  stone, 

That,  154 
monk  of  St  Mary's  aisle,  106 
Monk-Wearmouth,  120 
Monmouth,  Anne,  duchess  of, 

100,  103 

—  James,  duke  of,  100,  103 
Montagu    of    Boughton,    lord, 

Henry,  114 
Moors,  the,  107,  171 
Moray,  165,  166 

—  earls  of,  134,  137,  146 

—  the  regent,  98 
More  battle,  106 
Morpeth,  121 
Morris,  William,  147 
Morritt,    John  Bacon   Sawrey, 

147,  148 
Mortham  tower,  149 
Morven,  173 
mosque,  139 
Mouse  water,  155 
Mowbray,  Robert,  120,  122 
Mull,  173,  175 

—  sound  of,  165,  173 
Murdoch,  134-6 
Musgraves,  the,  loi,  127 


musketoon,  156 
Musselburgh,  98 

narrow  inlet,  a,  140 
Naworth  castle,  104,  105 
need-fire,  109 
Netherby,  126,  127 
Neville,  Anne,  154 

—  Ralph,  154 
Newark  castle,  100 
Newbattle,  99 

—  abbot  of,  97 
Nimrod,  162 
Nine-and-twenty     knights     of 

fame,  103 
Ninian's  convent,  178 
noble  Liege,  my,  174 
Nor'  loch,  126 
Norham,  123 

—  castle,  115,  1 17-9 
Norhamshire,  119 
Norman  conquest,  120 
Normand}',  176,  177 
North  Berwick,  128 

Law,  126 

Northallerton,  124 

—  battle  of,  99 
Norway,  112 
nothing,  171 
numbers  flung,  thy,  139 
nuns,  the,  120 

Nurse,  his,  174 

—  of  Rorie  Mhor,  174 

Oberon,  159 

Ochil  mountains..  126 

Ochtertyre,  146 

Og,  Angus:  see  Ronald 

O'Neale,  Redmond,  149,  150-2 

Orkney,  earldom  of,  112,  113 

—  isles,  112 

Otterburn,  battle  of,  108,  117 
Otterburne,  the  gallant  Chief  of, 
108 

pagod,  139 


192 


INDEX 


Palestine,  176 

Palmer,  179 

parent  hill,  their,  141 

Pathhead,  112 

pause,  each  according,  139 

Peden,  Alexander,  97 

Pembroke,  earl  of,  170 

Penicuik,  98 

Pennant,  Thomas,  142 

Pennine  chain,  158 

Pentlands,  125 

Pentland's  mountains,  97 

Percy,  Henry  (Hotspur),  108 

Percys,  the,  104 

Perth,  126,  143 

Philip  of  Mortham,  148-52 

pibroch,  141,  143 

Pittenweem,  138 

'plain,  128 

pleasures  by,  163 

Plessis-16s-Tours,  castle  of,  181 

postern-door,  107 

Preston  bay,  126 

Prestonpans,  126 

prong'd  portcullis,  162 

Puiset,  Hugh,  119 

quatre-feuille,  107 

Raby  castle,  153,  154 
Raby's  battled  towers,  154 
rampire,  162 

Ramsay,  sir  Alexander,  108 
—  John,  146 
Randolph,  sir  Thomas,  130 
ranger,  156 
Ranger,  The,  179 
Rankle  burn,  103 
Ranza,  loch,  167 
rath,  159 
Ravenscar,  127 
Ravenscraig  castle,  112 
Ravensheugh:  see  Ravenscraig 
Ravensworth  castle,  157 
Reay,  170 
Rebecca,  180 


red  leaf,  the,  169 

reed,  the,  163 

Reged,  158 

Regent,  the,  no 

requiem,  146,  178 

Rere-cross  on  Stanmore,  157 

reveille,  141 

ribbed  aisle,  each,  107 

rich  dale,  the,  153 

Richard  III,  128,  154 

Richmond,  152,  157,  158 

—  earls  of,  160 

Ride  to  Stirling,  The,  145 

Rievaulx,  106 

Ripon,  99,  123 

Rising  of  the  North,  104 

Risingham,  Bertram,  148-52 

Robert  III,  145 

Roderick  Dhu,  133-46 

Rokeby,  147-60 

Roland,  sir,  161 

Rome,  179 

Ronald,  lord  of  the  Isles,  165-75 

Rosabelle,  112 

rose-carv'd,  113 

Roslin,  98 

Roslin's  magic  glade,  155 

Ross  dhu,  143 

Rosslyn,  112,  113,  155 

—  chapel,  112,  113 
rough  West,  the,  170 
Roxburgh  castle,  108 
Roxburghe,  dukes  of,  106 
Rumble  Churn,  121 
Runic,  158 

Rupert,  prince,  148 
rushy  floor,  the,  102 

St  Aidan,  122 

—  Albans,  120 

—  Andrew,  130 

—  Andrews,  129 

—  Bothan,  129 

—  Bride's  chapel,  143 
nunnery,  167,  168 

—  Bridget:  see  St  Bride 


INDEX 


193 


114 


177 


St  Clair :  see  Sinclair 

—  Columb,  175 

—  Cuthbert,  99,  122-4,  "^55 

—  Cuthbert's  daughters,  122 

—  Fillan,  138 

—  Francis,  99, 

—  Helen,  130 

—  Hilda,  120 

—  James,  176, 
the  divine,  99 

—  John  of  Beverly,  99,  116, 
124 

vale  of,  160-4 

—  Mary,  173 

—  Mary  and  St  Oswin  priory, 
120 

—  Michael,  109 

—  of  Holy  Island,  The,  122 

—  Oran's  churchyard,  170 

—  Peter,  99,  124 

—  Peter's  day,  97 

—  Ringan's :  see  Ninian's  con- 
vent 

—  the,  122 

—  Wilfrid,  99,  124 
sand,  132 

Santiago  de  Compostela,  99, 177 

Sanzio,  Raffaelle,  159 

Saracens,  the,  176 

Sark,  III 

Saxon,  144 

Scald,  159 

Scarba   isle  of,  174,  176 

Scarborough,  127 

Scargill,  149,  156 

scaur,  127 

Scavaig,  loch,  172,  173 

Scavigh  bay,  173 

Scone,  170 

Scotland's  dauntless  king,  and 

heir,  124 
Scott,  Charles  William,  99 

—  house  of,  103 

—  John,  169 

—  Margaret,  100,  iii 

—  Michael,  100,  loi,  106,  109 


Scott,  sir  Walter,  character- 
istics :  ability  to  inspire  poetic 
interest,  119;  ballad  poetry, 
early,  97;  border  history, 
knowledge  of,  100;  cavalier 
treatment  of  history,  106; 
descriptive  power,  137,  145, 
152,  161,  169,  175;  dramatic 
force,  138;  eloquence,  118; 
emotion,  125;  history,  free- 
dom in  treatment  of,  169;  in- 
vention of  characters  and  in- 
cidents, 116;  medieval  hymns, 
love  of,  114;  metre,  loi,  161; 
native  country,  love  for,  iii, 
138,  155;  picturesque,  love  of 
the,  105;  power  of  chivalrous 
narrative,  169;  reproductive 
power,  114;  sentiment,  169; 
Spenserian  stanzas,  use  of, 
138,  169;  topography,  know- 
ledge of  Scottish,  145,  161 
—  works  '.Bridal  of  Triermain, 
The,  139,  153,  156,  158,  160- 
5;  Cadyow  Castle,  98;  County 
Guy,  181;  Glenfinlas :  or  Lord 
Ronald's  Coronach,  144;  Gray 
Brother,  The,  97-9,  179;  Guy 
Mannering,  179;  Hellvellyn, 
178;  Hunting  Song,  179; 
Ivanhoe,  180;  Jock  of  Hazel- 
dean,  180;  Lady  of  the  Lake, 
The,  132-47,  157,  180;  Lay 
of  the  Last  Minstrel,  The,  97, 
99,  105,  III,  118,  127,  161; 
Lord  of  the  Isles,  The,  138, 
142,  163,  165-78;  Marmion, 
114-33,  137,  138,  144,  156, 
1 79 ;  Massacre  of  Glencoe,  On 
the,  179;  Memorie  of  the 
Somervilles,  1 69 ;  Minstrelsy 
of  the  Scottish  Border,  The,  97, 
105, 126, 176;  Monastery, The, 
112;  Palmer,  The,  179;  Pi- 
broch of  Donuil  Dhn,  180; 
Quentin  Durward,    iSi;   Re- 


194 


INDEX 


becca's  Hymn,  i8o;  Red- 
gauntlet,  127;  Rokeby,  147- 
61;  Spindle  Song,  The,  179; 
Tales  of  a  Grandfather,  155; 
Waverley,  179 

Scotts  of  Buccleuch,  103,  105 
Harden,  103 

Scrivelsby,  Lines.,  115 

Scroop,  or  Howard,  or  Percy's 
powers,  104 

Scrope,  Geoffrey  le,  104 

—  Henry  le,  104 
Scropes  of  Bolton,  104 

Masham,  104 

scutcheons,  108,  178 
sea-born  beads.  The,  124 
Seaton-Delaval,  120 
seedling  gem,  some,  143 
Seer  of  Skye,  the,  170 

—  the  gifted,  112 
Selkirk,  100,  106,  iii 
Shakespeare,  William,  141, 154, 

156,  159 
shatter'd  trunk.  His,  140 
sheen,  140 
Shinar's  plain,  139 
shiver 'd  crest,  his,  173 
shrieve,  131 
shrive,  99 
Sifia,  159 
sign,  yon,  132 
Sinclairs,  the,  112,  113 
Sinclairtown,  112 
Skipton,  127 
Skye,  isle  of,  166,  170-5 
slogan,  105,  143 
smoke-wreaths,  the,  125 
snood,  180 
Soay  sound,  173 
SoltraandDumpenderLaw,  no 
Solway  firth,  103,  127,  167 

—  moss,  battle  of,  in,  133 
Somerville,  169 

Song  of  Albert  Graeme,  The,  in 
Southey,  John,  169 
Spadeadam:  see  Speir-Adam 


Speir-Adam,  164 
Spenser,  Edmund,  140 
Staffa,  175 
Staindrop,  154 
Stainmore,  153-60 
Stainthorpe:  see  Staindrop 
Standard,  battle  of  the,  124 
Stanley,  sir  Edward,  131,  132 

—  Thomas,  131 
Stanmore,  153 
Startforth:  see  Stratforth 
stern  Father  of  the  Slain,  the, 

158 
Stevenson,  Robert  Louis,  125 
Stewart,  Henry,  145 

—  Murdoch,  128 

Stirling,  126,  134-9,  145-7.  168 

—  Grey,  146 
Stirlings,  the,  146 
Stormont,  143 
Stratforlh,  159 
Strath  Gartney,  144 
Strathaird,  i  73 

Strathearn,  Malise,  earl  of,  112 
Strathyre,  144 

Strathnardill  and  Dunskye,  173 
streamers  light,  the,  106 
Striden-edge,  178 

Strutt,  Joseph,  179 

Stumah,  144 

sullen  Till,  the,  130 

Sunart,  loch,  173 

Sunderland,  120 

Surrey,   earl   of:   see   Howard, 

Thomas 
Surrey's  camp,  128 
Swale,  river,  153,  158 
Symeon  of  Durham,  124 

Tamworth,  115 

Tantallon  castle,  117,  118,  126-9 

targe,  145 

tarn,  109 

Tarras,  164 

tasted  well,  she  had  not,  in 

Tay,  liver,  142,  171 


INDEX 


195 


Tees,  river,  124,  147,  153-60 
Teesdale,  153,  155 
Teith,  river,  139,  144-6 
Templestowe,  180 
Teviot,  102,  103,  164 

—  stone,  103,  III 
Teviotdale,  105 
Teyndrum,  171 
these,  123 
Thirlmere,  162 
Thorsgill,  149  ff-,  154-  158 
Threlkeld,  162 
Thurland,  131 

Till,  river,  123,  129,  130 

Tillmouth,  123 

Tilmouth  cell,  123 

Tinlinn,  Wat,  loi 

Tiree,  isle  of,  175 

Toller  hill :  see  Towler  hill 

Torquil,  174 

Torry  and  Lendrick,  145 

Towier  hill,  159 

town,  156 

—  mine  own  romantic,  125 
Traprain  Law,  no 
Triermain,  160,  164,  165 
Triumphant  Michael,  109 
Trossachs,  133-41 

Tua,  loch,  175 
tuck,  156 

Tudor,  Margaret,  145 
Tunstall,  sir  Brian,  131 
Turnberry,  167 

Tweed,  river,  103,  106,  in,  118, 
119,  123,  124,  129.  130.  169 
Twizell,  129,  130 
Tyndrum,  171 

Tyne,  river,  116,  120,  164,  180 
Tynemouth,  123 

—  prioress  of,  115 
Tynemouths  priory,  120,  I2I 

Ullswater,  160 
Ulva,  175 
uncof&n'd,  113 
Urbino,  159 


vain      knight      errant,      the, 

130 
Valence  (de),  Aymer,  176 
Vanbrugh,  sir  John,  120 
Vane,  sir  Henry,  153,  154 
variable,  131 
vaulted  arch.  The,  163 
Vaux  (de),  family  of,  164 

sir  Roland,  160-5 

Vennachar,  loch,  134-45 

Vergil,  131 

Voil,  loch,  144 

Voyage  to  Arran,  The,  175 

Wallace,  sir  William,  130,  155 

—  wight,  130 
Walter,  Lord,  105 
Wansbeck,  river,  121 
ward,  no 
Warden  raid,  127 
Wardlaw,  123 
Warkworth,  104,  121 
warrior  oak,  140 
Water-Sprite,  the,  112 
Wear,  river,  120 
Wearmouth,  120 
Wensleydale,  104 
were,  174 

west,  the,  126 
Westminster,  130 
Whitaker  T.  D.,  155 
Whitby,    115,    117,    120,    123, 
127 

—  abbess  of,    115,   116,    119, 
120,  129 

White  friars,  99 

—  Lady,  112 
Widderington,  121 
Widdringtons,  the,  121 
wight,  102,  104 

wild  stream,  a,  173 

William  I,  115,  124,  158,  177 

—  HI,  179 

—  of  Saint  Calais,  123 

—  the  Lion,  177 

Wilton  (de),  115-8,  128,  129 


196  INDEX 

Windsor  castle,  1 10  Wordsworth,  Dorothy.  132, 155 
witch-elm  that  shades  St  Fil-        —  William,  iii,  132, 158, 160. 

lan's  spring,  the,  138  „7^''v«     r^        ^A    ..a   ^^ 

wizard  elm,  the,  147  ^^^w?;  5''^'' «^' ^^^^ 

Woden's  Croft,  158  -  Wilfrid,  148-52 

Toltyl^Cardinal,  118  Yarrow  water,  100,  106,  iii 

wondrous  blaze,  a,  113  y^^ld  the  muse  the  day,  98 

—  dome,  that,  175  ^ork,  bishop  of,  99 


PRINTED  IN  ENGLAND  BY  J.  B.  PEACE,  M.A. 
AT     THE      CAMBRIDGE      UNIVERSITY     PRESS 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


A  A      000  256  160 


CENTRAL  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARY 
University  of  California,  San  Diego 

DATE  DUE 

jflN  2q  1975 

IAN  ?.  5  xrn 

CI  39 

UCSD  Libr. 

